Mine That Bird Will Run in the Preakness

Derby Winner Takes Aim at the Second Jewel of the Triple Crown

May 4, 2009 Terry McNamee

Fresh off his upset win in the Kentucky Derby, Mine That Bird is preparing for the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico on May 16.

On Monday, May 4, trainer Chip Woolley Jr. and co-owners Mark Allen and Dr. Leonard Blach announced that the gelding will make the trip to Baltimore. Mine That Bird reportedly came out of the race sound and is in peak form.

Ridden by Calvin Borel, Mine That Bird made headlines on May 2 by going off at 50-1 and becoming the second-highest betting choice ever to win the Derby, defeating Pioneerof The Nile by 6-3/4 lengths. His margin of victory was the longest since Assault defeated Spy Song by eight back in 1946.

His Derby win pushed Mine That Bird’s lifetime earnings to nearly $1.5-million.

Derby Winner Bred For Classic Distances

The Preakness is a sixteenth of a mile shorter than the Kentucky Derby, while the third leg of the Triple Crown, the Belmont Stakes in New York, is a mile and a half. Can Mine That Bird manage both distances?

Both his past performances and his pedigree suggest he can. The gelding won the 1-1/16-mile Grey Stakes (Can-III) at two over Woodbine’s Polytrack. He was flying in the Derby to win pulling away on a muddy track.

His pedigree is full of classic horses. He is by Birdstone, who won the Travers and the Belmont and is a half-brother to a Kentucky Oaks winner. His grandsire, Grindstone, won the Kentucky Derby and Louisiana Derby, and is by Unbridled, who won the Kentucky Derby, Florida Derby and Breeders’ Cup Classic. Grindstone’s dam was a Grade I winner. Birdstone is out of a daughter of European champion Storm Bird, a noted sire of Classic horses.

On his dam’s side, Mine That Bird is out of Mining My Own, an unraced daughter of Grade I winner Smart Strike, sire of the great champion Curlin. Her dam, Aspenelle, was second in the Canadian Oaks and is by Vice Regent, another sire of champion runners over Classic distances.

If he continues to run up to his breeding, Mine That Bird should have no trouble staying the distance. In a few weeks, everyone will find out if he can defeat new competition on the arduous Triple Crown trail.

Roses Honor Barbaro and Racing Fans

Meanwhile, fans are being won over by the little horse and his New Mexico connections. The day after the Derby, before they had even settled in to enjoy their own win, Team Bird paid tribute to the late 2006 Derby winner, Barbaro. They placed Mine That Bird’s garland of 400 red roses on the new Barbaro memorial at Churchill Downs for a brief time. Then Woolley and Allen plucked the roses out one at a time and handed them to fans visiting the memorial. They stayed for photos and autographs until every rose had been given away.

“We want people to know just how important these horses really are to us," Woolley told The Blood-Horse. “They’re not just animals, they’re a part of us.”

Barbaro was already a fan favourite before shattering a hind leg in the Preakness. His months-long battle to try and recover from his injuries made news around the world, and helped force changes in the racing industry to improve safety standards.

The copyright of the article Mine That Bird Will Run in the Preakness in Horse Racing is owned by Terry McNamee. Permission to republish Mine That Bird Will Run in the Preakness in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Mine That Bird Winning at Woodbine in 2008

Mine That Bird