2009 KENTUCKY DERBY

©2009 HORSEPHOTOS/NTRA

 Mine That Bird impressive in winning the 135th running of The Kentucky Derby.

 MINE THAT BIRD IN A A STUNNING 135TH KENTUCKY DERBY VICTORY 

KENTUCKY DERBY OFFICIAL RESULTS

MAY 2, 2009

KENTUCKY DERBY

GRADE I

CHURCHILL DOWNS; LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY

FOR THREE YEAR OLDS

ONE AND ONE QUARTER MILES

MAIN TRACK: SLOPPY (SEALED)

MINE THAT BIRD

Winner

135th Kentucky Derby

Jockey: Calvin Borel

Trainer: Bennie Woolley, Jr.

Owner: Double Eagle Ranch and Bueno Suerte Equine

Bay Gelding

Sire: Birdstone

Dam: Mining My Own (Smart Strike)

Breeder: Lamantia, Blackburn & Needham/Betz Thoroughbreds

OFFICIAL ORDER OF FINISH

Scratches: I Want Revenge

 22.98, 47.23, 1:12.09, 1:37.49, 2:02.66

Attendance: 153,563

See below for complete Derby recap:

MINE THAT BIRD DERBY SHOCKER AT

50-1

May 2, 2009

Churchill Downs

Louisville, Kentucky

In what turned out to be a strange day at Churchill Downs, nobody would ever have dreamed how it would end.  The day started with the news that morning line favorite I Want Revenge was scratched because of some heat and filling in his left front ankle.  The injury while not serious, at least at the time of this writing, was enough for the connections to lay up their colt for another day.  Add to that the week of scratches that was including Quality Road (Florida Derby winner), Square Eddie and Win Willy and this race was becoming one more of attrition just to make leaving the racing secretary to bring in some also eligible's.  The weather would not cooperate either.  While the rain flirted with the area on Friday for the Oaks Derby Day would not be so lucky.  The rain had subsided by mid-day but the lack of sun and wind would leave the track superintendent no choice but to seal the track and continue to float between races to squeegee the water in hopes of getting a faster strip.  That process left some standing water and a greasy track.

The race would further be defined by a rough start where many in the middle of the gate were bumped and jostled at the start while Dunkirk would flat stumble before recovering and go on.  Even with the bad start by the time the field reached the final quarter mile Pioneerof The Mile was in perfect position as Garret Gomes had his colt out of trouble and making his way down the stretch as Papa Clem and Musket Man would bear down on the leader as the three were out in the middle of the track racing to the wire. While this battle was ensuing in the middle of the track Calvin Borel had managed to save all the ground on  his 50-1 shot Mine That Bird and delivered a rail skimming ride reminiscent of his performance two years ago aboard Street Sense.  He perfectly guided his gelding along the rail and quickly passed a tired horse in front of him in the stretch angling off the rail for just a split second and then went right back guiding the three-year-old son of Birdstone through and opening and quickly opened up daylight before NBC track announcer Tom Durkin could even finish his sentence about Pioneerof The Nile taking the lead.  And just like that Mine That Bird had drawn off to win The 135th Kentucky Derby by six and three-quarter lengths with Borel sitting like a statue.  Mine That Bird would finished the mile and a quarter in 2:02.66 returning a 103.20 mutuel, the second highest payout in derby history next to 1913 winner Donerail who paid $184.90.

The extraordinary story of the Derby winner started as a $9,500 yearling purchase before becoming Canada's Champion two-year-old male.  After a disappointing Breeders' Cup he wound up in the barn of  Bennie Woolley, Jr. where he would run fourth in the Sunland Derby.  That's right fourth in the Sunland Derby, the track that you see during the night telecasts on TVG and never knew it was in New Mexico.  That's right New Mexico.  What an improbable road to the derby, literally as Wooley would put the gelding in his own van and drive him twenty one hours to Kentucky for today's start.  Woolley had a record of just 1 for 32 before today's race.  You can make that now 2 for 33 but what a second win it was.  That win would lead Woolley to say, "I can't say enough. This is a feeling like I've never had before".  For Calvin Borel this would be his second derby win in three years.  Of the race Borel quipped, " I just took him back, rode a Street Sense race...I knew at the three-eighths, if I got through, Katie bar the door." Borel won the Kentucky Oaks on Friday with Rachel Alexandra becoming the seventh jockey to win both of Churchill Downs's signature races in the same year.

ESPN had very good coverage of the under card including some excellent pieces about Eight Belles and trainer Larry Jones and General Quarters and his owner/trainer Thomas McCarthy.  NBC followed with mediocre coverage which at times seemed more concerned with celebrity/red carpet nonsense and the news of the Dallas Cowboys training facility being destroyed in a storm.  However they did broach the topics of track safety and medication in discussion which seemed to shed some insight on the issue of safety in racing after the past few years with the tragic losses of Barbaro and Eight Belles.  We move on to Baltimore to see if the improbable can happen again as Mine That Bird will try and answer the bell in The Preakness Stakes.

All entrants went into the gate well but after the break Dunkirk stumbled and steadied while numerous horses including Mr. Hot Stuff, Chocolate Candy, Hold Me Back, Desert Party, Nowhere To Hide were bumped, squeezed or hit the gate to start their journey.  Chris DeCarlo put Join In The Dance on the front and led the opening mile of the race getting fractions of 22.98, 47.23, 1:12.09 & 1:37.49.  Regal Ransom tracked the leader closely for three-quarters before giving way to Pioneerof The Nile in the far turn.  In the lane Garret Gomez had Pioneerof The Nile on the outside in the clear and looked good taking the lead as Papa Clem came running to the leaders outside while Musket Man was gaining on those two.  Those three did not see the oncoming Mind That Bird who was making a bold inside run up the rail and exploded to the lead in mid-stretch, never looking back drawing off to win The 135th Kentucky Derby by six and three-quarter lengths on the wire in a final time of 2:02.66.  Pioneerof The Nile drifted out late but managed to hold second place while Musket Man got up by a head for the show spot.  Mine That Bird is a three-year-old bay gelding owned by Double Eagle Ranch and Bueno Suerte Equine, trained by Bennie Woolley, Jr. and was ridden by Calvin Borel.