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THOROUGHBRED BEAT MAY 6, 2009 by James Scully Perfect Ride -- Calvin Borel's ride aboard MINE THAT BIRD (Birdstone) arguably won the race for the gelding. Trainer Chip Woolley Jr. stated that Mine That Bird had been too eager in his previous races and needed to relax well off the Kentucky Derby (G1) pace to be successful. That didn't happen in his first two starts of 2009: a front-running second in his first appearance, the February 28 Borderland Derby; and a fourth in the March 29 Sunland Derby in which he made a premature to the lead from just off pace and weakened. Enter the hot-riding Calvin Borel, who saves ground and gets the most out of his horses late in the race. Borel captured the 2007 Derby in near last-to-first style with Street Sense and went from last to third with 30-1 Denis of Cork last year. He knew the mission aboard Mine That Bird and delivered in impeccable fashion. The 42-year-old Cajun was the key to victory. Credit Due -- Mine That Bird improved significantly off his first two starts this year, running his final quarter-mile of the Derby in :23 3/5 while notching a BRIS Speed rating of 110. That Speed number represents a 22-point improvement off his last start and is 20 points better than his previous career-best -- a 90 earned for his last-place finish in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1). After being purchased by from owner/trainer David Cotey for $400,000 last fall, Mine That Bird was transferred to Richard Mandella for the equivalent of a big league cup of a coffee -- he was in the Southern California barn of the Hall of Fame trainer for only a short period of time. Following Mine That Bird's last-place finish in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile, Mandella probably told the owners that the gelding was better suited for a lesser grade of competition. How Mine That Bird runs in the Preakness S. (G1) remains to be seen, but the Kentucky-bred was much the best on Saturday, winning by 6 3/4 lengths while recording the second-biggest upset in Derby history. He's eligible to perform at a high level over the rest of his career. Chip -- Most people didn't know Chip Woolley before the Kentucky Derby -- the obscure conditioner has never been one of the leaders at the biggest meets on the New Mexico circuit, Sunland Park and Zia Park. Woolley was only 1-for-32 this year with Thoroughbred runners prior to the Derby, and he was better known for his work with Quarter Horses. Woolley greatly enhanced his reputation as a Thoroughbred trainer via Mine That Bird, and he figures to get the opportunity to showcase his skills in the future, with more horses and better stock from new owners as well as the connections of Mine That Bird. He deserves it. Nobody thought Mine That Bird would be good enough to challenge in the Kentucky Derby, and Woolley prepared the gelding for the performance of a lifetime. Birdstone Influence -- Before acquiring Mine That Bird, owners Mark Allen and Leonard Blach purchased Birdstone's half-brother, stakes-placed So Long Birdie (Pioneering), who stands at Double Eagle Ranch near Roswell, New Mexico, for a $2,000 stud fee. Allen and Blach wanted to highlight Birdstone's seven-year-old half-brother to New Mexico breeders and sought to purchase an offspring of Birdstone's to race, eventually discovering Mine That Bird in Canada. The $9,500 Keeneland September yearling broke his maiden in a $62,500 maiden claiming event at Woodbine last August and recorded an upset in the 6 1/2-furlong Silver Deputy S. in his following start. He proceeded to capture the seven-furlong Swynford S. and 1 1/16-mile Grey S. (Can-G3) in his next two outings. Mine That Bird defeated only five challengers in each of those three stakes starts, and the level of competition can be seriously questioned. Named Canadian champion two-year-old by virtue of those stakes wins, Mine That Bird wasn't the Canadian juvenile with high expectations entering 2009; that distinction went to Patena (Seeking the Gold). Allen and Blach now look very smart, and Mine That Bird provided a major boost to the eight-year-old Birdstone, who stands at Gainesway Farm near Lexington, Kentucky. The Belmont S. (G1) and Travers S. (G1) winner is also responsible for Derby sixth-placer Summer Bird, and the second-crop stallion is now rising up the sire rankings. Nice Touch -- Giving away the roses on Sunday morning, in front of the new statue of Barbaro, was a magnanimous gesture from the connections of Mine That Bird. Those cowboys showed a lot of class. Earnings System -- The Kentucky Derby graded earnings system wound up working out well for the connections of Mine That Bird -- he probably wouldn't have the made the trip from New Mexico with any revisions to the current system. Mine That Bird got into the Derby via the $138,705 he garnered for his victory in the Grey S. (Can-G3) last October. The graded earnings system came under controversy earlier this year when Dunkirk (Unbridled's Song) was on the bubble with $150,000 in graded earnings, but the Florida Derby (G1) runner-up easily made the field and there wound up being no controversies in 2009. Mine That Bird should ensure that the graded earnings system continues in its present format for many years to come. Aerial View -- Is there anything better than the overhead view? I loved watching Rachel Alexandra (Medaglia d'Oro) put on a clinic from the aerial replay of the Kentucky Oaks (G1), and Borel's ride aboard Mine That Bird is absolutely amazing. I still don't see how he ever managed to squeeze through the small space inside of Join in the Dance (Sky Mesa) in the stretch. Baltimore -- The focus now turns to the 134th running of the Preakness at Pimlico. Get ready for ridiculous banter about tighter turns (the turns are actually tighter at Churchill Downs) and the speed-biased track (no wire-to-wire wins in the Preakness since 1996).
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