Summer Bird Upset Winner of the Belmont Stakes
Birdstone Sons Are First and Third, Dunkirk Second
Jun 9, 2009
Borel rode Mine That Bird to win the Kentucky Derby at odds of 50-1. In the Preakness, Borel won on the filly Rachel Alexandra. Mine That Bird was second after being repeatedly blocked, forcing replacement rider Mike Smith to take him wide.
The filly’s connections skipped the Belmont, freeing Borel to ride the Bird, since Smith was unavailable. The son of Belmont winner Birdstone was expected to excel at the mile and a half distance.
Meanwhile, another first-crop son of Birdstone was coming up to the race beautifully. Summer Bird, sixth in the Derby, would wear blinkers this time to help him focus. Hall of Fame rider Kent Desormeaux was trying for his first Belmont Stakes win.
Borel Unfamiliar With Belmont Park
Things unraveled for Mine That Bird when Borel, whose last win at Belmont Park was 10 years ago, chose not to ride on the undercard to get a feel for the track’s deep sand and notoriously tiring stretch. Worse, Mine That Bird was not his usual calm self. Before the race, he was weaving in his stall, and was playing and bucking on the way to the saddling area. He looked like a horse so full of energy that he was about to explode.
When the gate opened, Charitable Man broke in front. Summer Bird and Mine That Bird were taken back. At the half, the Derby winner was about nine lengths back of the leaders. Charitable Man and Dunkirk were setting a moderate pace. No one but the connections of Summer Bird were paying much attention to that one on the rail.
Summer Bird No Longer “The Other Bird”
As they turned for home, Borel asked Mine That Bird to go. It was much too soon. The Bird went wide to take the lead from Dunkirk, and it looked like he was home free. But Dunkirk, after drifting out and bumping Charitable Man, started coming back.
In the stretch, Summer Bird suddenly flew up the outside and went by everyone to win by 2-3/4 lengths, with Dunkirk second and Mine That Bird a neck back. Charitable Man, by Belmont winner Lemon Drop Kid, was fourth. His rider, Alan Garcia, claimed foul against Dunkirk but, in what would be a controversial decision, the stewards let the result stand.
Winning trainer Tim Ice was thrilled with his colt’s effort, commenting that Summer Bird would have his own name now instead of being called “the other Bird”. It was a great 35th birthday gift for the young conditioner.
Summer Bird is owned and bred by retired Drs. Kalarikkal and Vilasini Jayaraman. The chestnut colt is out of a daughter of Preakness winner Summer Squall.
Calvin Borel Says Pace Was Too Slow
Borel, who had guaranteed Mine That Bird would win, said his horse was rank. “I had to let him go a little bit down the backside,” he said, and added the pace was too slow.
Mine That Bird’s trainer, Bennie “Chip” Woolley, was terribly disappointed. “I think my horse was the best horse there,” he said. Woolley agreed the gelding was rank, but said he felt the pace was fine and that his horse had moved too soon. Even so, he is proud that his little horse was the only one to place in the top three in all three Triple Crown races.
Dunkirk suffered a left hind condylar fracture during or after the race and underwent surgery to repair it on Tuesday, June 9. The son of Unbridled’s Song will be off until autumn.
