Mine That Bird finished second, a length behind Rachel Alexandra. The mount on Mine That Bird went to Mike Smith. Rachel Alexandra had won the Kentucky Oaks by 20 lengths with Borel aboard and was the favorite in the Preakness. īorel opted to ride his regular mount, the filly Rachel Alexandra, in the Preakness. It was announced on May 4, 2009, on ESPN that Mine That Bird would run in the Preakness. Trainer Chip Woolley was concerned that the Preakness tends to have a quick pace that might not benefit his horse as much as the Belmont. Ĭo-owner Mark Allen said, 'The plan was that if he showed something here, to skip the Preakness and go to the Belmont, like his dad.' His sire Birdstone won the Belmont Stakes in 2004, suggesting that Mine That Bird's breeding is for longer distances. They planned to wait and assess the horse's condition first. The day after his Derby win, Mine That Bird's connections were uncertain if they would come back two weeks later and try for the Preakness Stakes. Mine That Bird had the third longest odds in the 19-horse field, with only Atomic Rain (55-1) and Join in the Dance (51-1) being higher. Ī two-dollar win wager returned $103.20, making Mine That Bird tied with Giacomo for the fourth-biggest upset winner in Kentucky Derby history, behind 91-1 longshot Donerail in 1913, 80-1 victor Rich Strike in 2022, and 65-1 winner Country House in 2019. He ran the Derby's mile-and-a-quarter distance in 2 minutes 2.66 seconds. Mine That Bird pulled away to win by 6 3⁄ 4 lengths for the longest margin of victory in over 60 years. Borel kept Mine That Bird on the rail, leaving it to go around just one tiring horse before ducking back onto the rail, where he exploded past Pioneerof the Nile and Musket Man so fast on the inside that Durkin, who was focused on the other two horses, did not see 'Bird' come through until he was already three lengths in the lead. Ĭalvin Borel, using the ground-saving, rail-skimming riding technique that won him the 2007 Derby with Street Sense, charged past horses along the backstretch and at the turn for home moved into contention. By the time the pack of horses was running down the backstretch, Mine That Bird was so far back that NBC's announcer Tom Durkin at first missed seeing him. Ridden by Calvin Borel, Mine That Bird had trouble out of the starting gate and was left about eight lengths behind the rest of the field. 2009 Kentucky Derby įollowing overnight rain, the Churchill Downs natural dirt track was rated as 'sloppy' for the 2009 Kentucky Derby. Woolley, who had a broken foot at the time and was in a cast, loaded Mine That Bird into a horse trailer attached to his pickup truck and drove over 1,200 miles (perhaps 1,700 miles ) over 21 hours from New Mexico to get to the race. Based on his career earnings in graded stakes races, he qualified as one of the twenty Kentucky Derby starters. Racing in the United States at age three for new trainer Chip Woolley, in his 2009 debut on February 28, Mine That Bird finished second in the Borderland Derby, and on March 29 had a fourth-place finish in the Sunland Derby. In the 2008 Breeders' Cup Juvenile, Mine That Bird finished last of the twelve starters. Racing Hall of Fame trainer Richard Mandella. His new owners turned the gelding over to U.S. After she and the horse won the Grey Stakes on October 11, 2008, the partnership accepted a $400,000 offer from the New Mexico partnership of Double Eagle Ranch and Buena Suerte Equine. Chantal Sutherland rode him to victory in the Silver Deputy Stakes and the Swynford Stakes. Cotey nominated the horse for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile and the Kentucky Derby. He and his partners raced the gelding at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, where he won four of six starts and was voted the 2008 Canadian Champion 2-yr-old Male Horse. Prospector on his dam's side.Ĭanadian trainer David Cotey purchased Mine That Bird for $9,500 from the 2007 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October Yearling Sale. He is related to Northern Dancer through both of his parents and is related to Native Dancer and Mr. His sire is Birdstone (winner of the 2004 Belmont Stakes), and his dam is Mining My Own. He had earnings of $2,228,637 and was inducted into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame in 2015. Mine That Bird (foaled May 10, 2006) is a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 2009 Kentucky Derby at 50-1 odds and came second in the Preakness Stakes and third in the Belmont Stakes.

Ball and HGHR Inc.Ģ) Double Eagle Ranch and Buena Suerte EquineĬanadian Champion 2-yr-old Male Horse (2008)Ĭanadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame (2015) Lamantia Blackburn & Needham/Betz Thoroughbredsġ) Dominion Bloodstock, D. Mine That Bird at Santa Anita Park in Oct, 2009

Kentucky derby 2022 drone video