Churchill Downs honors Borel

Borel's bobblehead will feature the now familiar silks of Mine That Bird (EquiSport Photos) Popular Churchill Downs-based jockey Calvin Borel, who swept this year's Kentucky Oaks (G1) and Kentucky Derby (G1) aboard RACHEL ALEXANDRA (Medaglia d'Oro) and MINE THAT BIRD (Birdstone), respectively, will be honored at Churchill Downs this weekend with a bobblehead giveaway, autograph session, roast and his very own drink special. The first 7,500 fans through admission gates on Saturday will receive a free Calvin Borel bobblehead. The great majority of the Borel bobbleheads will showcase the 43-year-old Cajun in the familiar silks of Derby winner Mine That Bird. However, as a special treat, there will be 75 autographed, limited-edition Borel bobbleheads mixed in the allotment that showcase the silks of leading Horse of the Year candidate Rachel Alexandra. Only 500 Borel bobbleheads with Rachel Alexandra's silks were made and the remaining 425 will be sold near the PEB mural in the ITW area on the second floor of the clubhouse for $49.95 by Leonard Lusky of Commemorative Derby Promotions. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Permanently Disabled Jockey Fund. On Sunday, Borel will participate in a free autograph session with fans so they can get their bobbleheads and other memorabilia signed (time to be announced Friday to best accommodate Borel's Sunday riding commitments).

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.