Mine That Bird

Mine That Bird
Mine That Bird at Santa Anita Park in Oct, 2008
Sire	Birdstone
Grandsire	Grindstone
Dam	Mining My Own
Damsire	Smart Strike
Sex	Gelding
Foaled	May 10, 2006
Country	Canada
Colour	Bay
Breeder	Lamantia Blackburn & Needham/Betz Thoroughbreds
Owner	1) Dominion Bloodstock, D. Ball and HGHR Inc. 2) Double Eagle Ranch and Buena Suerte Equine
Trainer	1) David Cotey 2) Richard Mandella 3) Bennie L. "Chip" Woolley, Jr.
Record	11: 5-2-1
Earnings	$2,011,581
Major wins
Silver Deputy Stakes (2008) Swynford Stakes (2008) Grey Stakes (2008) American Classic Race wins: Kentucky Derby (2009)
Awards
Canadian Champion 2-yr-old Male Horse (2008)
Last updated on May 2, 2009

Mine That Bird (foaled May 10, 2006 in Ontario) is a 15-hand Canadian racehorse and winner of the 2009 Kentucky Derby, the second biggest upset in Derby history with the second widest margin of victory. A gelding, his sire is Birdstone and his dam is Mining My Own. Mining My Own's sire is Smart Strike, who also sired Curlin, winner of the Preakness and Breeders' Cup Classic in 2007, Horse of the Year in 2007 and 2008, and the leading money-winner in North American Thoroughbred history. Birdstone is best known as the colt that denied Smarty Jones his chance at the U.S. Triple Crown by defeating him in the 2004 Belmont Stakes. Birdstone is the son of Grindstone, who won the 1996 Kentucky Derby. Mine That Bird is one of only eight geldings to win the Derby, and the second in 50 years. Funny Cide broke superstition about geldings winning the Derby when he won in 2003.

Canadian trainer David Cotey purchased Mine That Bird for $9,500 from the 2007 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October Yearling Sale. 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. Cotey believed in the horse so much that he nominated him for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile and the Kentucky Derby. Chantal Sutherland rode him to victory in the Silver Deputy Stakes and the Swynford Stakes. 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. His new owners turned the gelding over to U.S. Racing Hall of Fame trainer, Richard Mandella. Entered in the 2008 Breeders' Cup Juvenile, Mine That Bird finished last of the twelve 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. However, based on his career earnings in graded stakes races, he qualified as one of the twenty Kentucky Derby starters. Trainer Chip Woolley loaded Mine That Bird into a horse trailer attached to his pickup truck, and drove 1,700 miles over 21 hours from New Mexico to get to the big race.

Racing career

2009 Kentucky Derby

Many racing enthusiasts were upset that Mine That Bird was keeping more accomplished horses and trainers from being in the Derby but that didn't stop his trainer from bringing him in a trailer from New Mexico for the race.

Following overnight rain, the Churchill Downs natural dirt track was rated as sloppy for the 2009 Kentucky Derby. Ridden by Calvin Borel, as seen on the YouTube video tape of the race referred to below, Mine That Bird had trouble out of the starting gate and was left about eight lengths behind the rest of the field. After the race his trainer told the media that at that point, he thought it was all over for his horse. 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.

Calvin Borel, using his 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 had moved into contention. Borel kept Mine That Bird on the rail, leaving it just once to go around a tiring horse before ducking back in, where he exploded past Pioneerof the Nile so fast on the inside that NBC's Tom Durkin, who was focused on other horses vying for the lead, didn't see him come through until he was three lengths in the lead. Mine That Bird pulled away to win by 6 3/4 lengths, the greatest margin of victory in the Derby since Assault's win by eight lengths in 1946. He ran the fastest final quarter-mile (23.77 seconds) in the Derby since Secretariat in 1973. [1]

A two dollar win wager returned $103.20, making Mine That Bird the second biggest upset in Kentucky Derby history, behind 91-1 longshot Donerail in 1913. 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.

2009 Preakness Stakes

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. They planned to wait and assess the horse's condition first.

Co-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 is Birdstone, who won the Belmont Stakes in 2004, suggesting that his breeding is for longer distances. Trainer Wooley was concerned that the Preakness tends to have a quick pace that might not benefit his horse as much as the Belmont. In the Derby, co-owner and veterinarian Dr. Richard Blach was expecting him to finish sixth or higher, maybe in the money.

It was announced on May 4, 2009, on ESPN that Mine That Bird would run in the Preakness.

Borel opted to ride Rachel Alexandra, his regular mount, in the Preakness. Rachel Alexandra, who had won the Kentucky Oaks by 20 lengths with Borel aboard, was the favorite. Mine That Bird was given to Mike Smith to ride, and the gelding ended up in second place, a length behind Rachel Alexandra. As with the Derby, Mine That Bird came from far back in the field on the final turn, and was closing rapidly on Rachel Alexandra, but the finish line came before he could catch the filly. Mine That Bird became the latest horse to fail to win the Triple Crown. (1978's Affirmed remains the last horse to win the elusive trophy).

2009 Belmont Stakes

Mine That Bird ran in the Belmont Stakes on June 6, 2009, where he was once again ridden by Calvin Borel. After starting last, he began moving up along the backside. After taking the lead at the top of the stretch, he battled with Dunkirk and Charitable Man down the lane but was ultimately beaten by Summer Bird and Dunkirk to finish third.

West Virginia Derby

Mine That Bird returned to racing with a third in the West Virginia Derby on August 1.

Breeding

Pedigree of Mine That Bird

Sire Birdstone	Grindstone	Unbridled	Fappiano
			Gana Facil
		Buzz My Bell	Drone
			Chateaupavia
	Dear Birdie	Storm Bird	Northern Dancer
			South Ocean
		Hush Dear	Silent Screen
			You All
Dam Mining My Own	Smart Strike	Mr. Prospector	Raise A Native
			Gold Digger
		Classy 'n Smart	Smarten
			No Class
	Aspenelle	Vice Regent	Northern Dancer
			Victoria Regina
		Little to Do	Dynastic
			Tribal to Do

References

• The 2008 Breeders' Cup Juvenile
• February 24, 2009 Thoroughbred Times article titled Borderland Derby first up for Mine That Bird
• Video at YouTube of Mine That Bird winning the 2008 Grey Stakes
• Video at YouTube of Mine That Bird winning the 2009 Kentucky Derby (includes aerial tracking view)
• Mine That Bird at the NTRA
• Mine That Bird race history, photos, video, news, comments, pedigree

External links

• Mine That Bird's pedigree and partial racing stats