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Churchill Downs honors Borel
Borel will also be Jill Byrne's special guest during Saturday's "Get in the Game" seminar in the paddock area at 11:50 a.m. (EST). Additionally, a new thirst-quenching drink called the "Borel Breezer" -- a mix of Woodford Reserve, cranberry juice and a splash of lemon-line served on ice in a commemorative racing-themed mint julep glass -- has been specially created for the weekend. Priced at $7, it will be sold throughout the facility for only $4 immediately after Borel wins a race. A roast in honor of Borel, complete with praise, outlandish stories and comedic insults from special guests, will take place after the races on Sunday in the Triple Crown Room. Tickets for the much-anticipated plated dinner are $100 and proceeds will benefit the Kentucky Equine Humane Center. A cocktail reception will begin at 5:30 p.m. with the dinner and ceremonies set to commence at 6:30 p.m. To make reservations to the roast, call Kelly Danner at 502-638-3825. Borel, a native of St. Martin Parish, La. who rode his first professional winner at age 16 on January 14, 1983, at Delta Downs, began the week with 4,678 career victories, including 73 graded stakes wins, from 31,576 career mounts. His mounts had earned more than $105.7 million. His career highlights include:
Born Nov. 7, 1966, Borel -- nicknamed "Bo-Rail" for his penchant of hugging the inside rail en route to numerous victories -- is second to legendary Hall of Fame jockey Pat Day in career wins at Churchill Downs with 958 trips to the winner's circle, and ranks sixth in local stakes wins with 45. He has cracked the top five of the Churchill Downs jockey standings for 23 of the last 28 meetings since the fall of 1995, including titles during the 1999 and 2006 fall meets. He has been a runner-up on eight occasions. Following his victories in this spring's Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby, Borel had celebrity-like status with appearances on The Today Show, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Late Night with David Letterman to name a few. He and Mine That Bird also graced the cover of Sports Illustrated. Two years earlier, he was invited to the White House for a white-tie dinner honoring Queen Elizabeth immediately after she witnessed Street Sense's 2007 Kentucky Derby triumph. Borel, the younger brother of Churchill Downs-based trainer Cecil Borel, began riding match races at his home state at age eight before launching his professional career. Known for his tireless work ethic and horsemanship, he currently rides the Kentucky-Arkansas-Louisiana circuit with summer stints at Saratoga. His fiancée is Lisa Funk and his longtime agent is Jerry Hissam.
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