HORSE RACING

• Sloppy Track, Sloppy Results

  
  

  by Jeff Frank, Contributing Editor Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - Mine That Bird defied long odds and romped by 6 3/4-lengths over a sloppy, sealed track at Churchill Downs. The gelding overpowered his 18 rivals in one of the most convincing triumphs in Kentucky Derby history. It was the largest margin of victory since Assault won the 1946 Derby by eight lengths, and a quarter-length greater than Barbaro's magnificent conquest just three years ago.

  Mine That Bird relished the off-track as evidenced by his powerful burst of speed through the stretch, where he opened up over five lengths on his closest pursuers inside the final furlong. The 50-1 shot ($103.20) easily pulled away from Pioneerof the Nile (second), Musket Man (third) and Papa Clem (fourth) for the win and combined with the other three for a whopping $557,006.40 superfecta.

  Jockey Calvin Borel, who recorded his second Kentucky Derby win in three years (Street Sense in '07), became the seventh rider to take home the Kentucky Oaks-Derby double, as he piloted superstar filly Rachel Alexandra to a 20 1/2- length score the previous day.

  Borel, nicknamed "Bo-rail" for his propensity to guide his horses on the inner part of the track, took full advantage of Saturday's golden rail by skimming the inside for the entire trip, except for one brief moment while getting around a tiring Atomic Rain.

  It was an amazing move, reminiscent of his ride on Street Sense two years ago, encapsulated thusly by yours truly right after the 2007 Derby: "Street Sense, 19th in the early going, was allowed to lag 20 lengths behind the hot pace of 22 4/5. As the field began to bunch up approaching the far turn, Calvin Borel, aboard Street Sense, made his "Bo-rail" move, and the two- year-old Eclipse Award winner responded." Mine That Bird was also 19th early on, 20.5 lengths behind Join in the Dance after a first quarter run in the same exact time. The son of Birdstone, after running his first two furlongs in 27.18 seconds, finished up his final mile in an incredible 1:35.48, an amazing performance by a horse that was at one time not even going to be entered in the Derby.

  Trainer Bennie Woolley Jr. was quoted in the Daily Racing Form in mid- April as saying, "At the moment, we're weighing our options. Maybe the Kentucky Derby, maybe the Lone Star Derby. We'll decide tomorrow or the next day. The best thing for me would be to run in the Derby. The best thing for the horse would be to find a race he could win, and the Derby might not be that." Sometimes the best decisions aren't the soundest, but don't tell that to Woolley. He and his horse are on their way to Baltimore and the second leg of the Triple Crown.

  HOW DID HE DO IT? I could only find two positives for Mine That Bird's chances heading into the race, and one was the jockey switch from Casey Lambert to Calvin Borel.

  Lambert cost the gelding the win in the Borderland Derby by rushing him to the lead too early after the May foal was making his first start in over four months. Mine That Bird failed by only a neck to Scorewithcater.

  The jockey did the same in the Sunland Derby, pushing his horse closer to the pace too fast, too soon by running a second quarter in a very fast 22 2/5. Mine That Bird still held the lead heading into the stretch but faded to fourth, beaten 3 1/4-lengths by Kelly Leak.

  The only other encouraging sign was a pedigree, especially on top, that held an affinity for wet tracks. Whenever you see Grindstone (Mine That Bird's paternal grandsire) in the breeding, you can bet the horse will love the slop, as that horse's dam, Buzz My Bell, was one of the finest mud-loving fillies to hit the track over the last 30 years.

  It's true Mine That Bird had four career wins heading into the race (only two horses boasted five and they finished second and third), but all four victories came at Woodbine against weak competition and three were in sprints. In his lone race against decent competition, he ran dead last in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile.

  Still, it was a devastating performance by a horse that obviously benefited from the wet conditions. His final time of 2:02 3/5 easily bested Smarty Jones' 2:04 in the '04 Derby, the last time the race was run over a sloppy track. Ten years before that, Go For Gin finished his 10 furlongs over a similar surface in 2:03 3/5, a full second slower than this year's running. In fact, Mine That Bird's final time was faster than all but two of 32 on off- tracks at 1 1/4-miles in Kentucky Derby history.

  He may not find the same track conditions in Baltimore for the Preakness, but on May 2 he was the best, and deserved the victory. For the second straight Triple Crown race, a longshot surprised the field. Da' Tara won last year's Belmont Stakes as the longest shot on the board at 38-1. Can the next unlikely winner be far behind?ON TO PIMLICO Mine That Bird's Preakness challengers from the Derby might be few and far between.

  Friesan Fire grabbed a quarter on his left front hoof after being stepped on by Papa Clem at the start of the race and never was involved, finishing next- to-last. The 7-2 betting choice has been mentioned as a possible Preakness starter, but trainer Larry Jones would be wise to rest up his top three-year- old.

  Dunkirk, who also suffered an injured hoof during the race, did not care for the slick sloppy surface, stumbling twice inside the first 50 yards. Trainer Todd Pletcher said his next start is up in the air, but it will certainly not be in Maryland in two weeks. Seventh-place finisher Join in the Dance is a possibility, but non-Derby starter Take the Points is a definite.

  Pioneerof the Nile is also listed as possible after running a huge second, although his number could have been taken down for impeding Papa Clem inside the final 1 1/16 of a mile. It's been a long winter/spring campaign for the son of Empire Maker, and even though he finished second, he still was weaving all over the Churchill stretch just as he did in the Santa Anita Derby.

  Third-place finisher Musket Man will run in either the Preakness or Belmont, but not both. Given his pedigree, the second leg of the Triple Crown is the more logical of the two choices for the horse that should have finished second. If trainer Derek Ryan chooses the Preakness, Musket Man will be a force to be reckoned with.

  Papa Clem was game, picking up the $100,000 fourth-place purse. The son of Smart Strike will advance to the next round in Baltimore.

  Chocolate Candy will return to California and train up to the Belmont Stakes, as will sixth-place finisher Summer Bird. The only other Derby horse that might run in the Preakness is General Quarters, but trainer Thomas McCarthy will more than likely send his colt to the Northern Dancer Stakes at Churchill Downs in June.

  The rest of the Derby field will regroup and take their chances at other racetracks in the coming weeks.

  A few new shooters besides Take the Points are Big Drama, recent winner (then disqualified to second) of the Swale Stakes, Withers Stakes victor Mr. Fantasy, and Federico Tesio winner Miner's Escape, whose dam, Spy Novel, is a half-sister to Indian Charlie, the third-place finisher of the 1998 Kentucky Derby.

  Can Mine That Bird become the eighth Derby winner in the last 13 years to head to Belmont with a chance to win the Triple Crown? If rain is in the forecast on May 16, then it's entirely possible. If the track is fast, then his chances will diminish. Either way, it should make for an exciting build-up over the next couple of weeks.

  05/04 15:01:43 ET