Borel Gets The Bird

Dang it. Mine That Bird came in third in the Belmont Stakes, beaten by Summer Bird. Weird factoid: both MTB and Summer Bird were sired by Birdstone, who won the Belmont in 2004, upsetting Smarty Jones' triple crown bid. So, MTB wins the Derby, comes in second in the Preakness, and takes third today. Pretty durn good.

More on Mine That Bird

This explains the name: therail.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/05/08/how-mine-that-bird-got-his-name/ -

Mine, Mine, Mine That Bird!

I guess I am the only one of the W-C-L bloggers who is fascinated by the game of jockey musical chairs that has gone on in connection with horse racing's triple crown. (See Who's on First?, Eat My Dust ,and BACK TO THE FUTURE entries). In any event, it looks like Calvin Borel will be riding Mine That Bird in the Belmont Stakes after all. This race is the longest of the three but based on his performances in the last 2 races, I think MTB can take it, unless he is just too beaten down. As Gary Stevens said after the Preakness, if the race had been 2 strides longer, MTB would have won. So, I will be watching and cheering for MTB all the way.

Back the the Future

Rachel Alexandra, the filly that won the Preakness, is not running in the Belmont, so Calvin Borel is available to ride Mine That Bird should the owner so desire. If I owned the horse, I'd get Borel back on him despite the fact that Borel ditched Mine That Bird for Rachel in the Preakness. Really is a strange twist to this story. And I'm rooting for MTB, no matter who the jockey is.

Eat My Dust

Poor Mine That Bird. He has lost yet another jockey. I wonder if having a new rider in the Preakness negatively impacted his performance. Did Mike Smith wait a hair too long to make his move? Would Borel, who rode him in the Derby, have handled the race differently or better? Who knows. Now that poor horse has to adjust to yet another jockey, though Borel may be back if Rachel Alexandra isn't entered in the Belmont. In any event, I hope that Mine That Bird kicks all their asses and makes them EAT DUST in the Belmont, whoever is in the stirrups.

Who's on First?

When filly, Rachel Alexandra, won the Kentucky Oaks by 20 lengths, she was ridden by Calvin Borel. The next day, Borel rode Mine That Bird to an incredible upset victory in the Kentucky Derby. (I just watched the replay on the Kentucky Derby website, and it was a phenomonal effort. Mine That Bird was dead last, by several lengths, for a good part of the race). Anyway, the day after the Kentucky Oaks race, Rachel Alexandra was sold. The new owners of Rachel Alexandra have entered her in the Preakness, which runs tomorrow. Borel has decided to switch back to the filly, leaving Mine That Bird, THE KENTUCKY DERBY WINNER, to last minute jockey, Mike Smith! I don't know what to think of this. Borel had said that if he had to choose, he would choose RA. Plus, he has won 5 races on her, I think. More than anything, though, his choice tells me that Borel thinks Rachel Alexandra has a better chance than Mine That Bird in the Preakness.