The first time most of America even heard the name Mine That Bird, he had just burst through a narrow hole along the rail in the Kentucky Derby and was already three lengths in front.
Now, five weeks after shocking the Derby at 50-1 by 6 3/4 lengths, and three weeks after he fell a length short of catching the super filly Rachel Alexandra in the Preakness, the gutsy little gelding, trained by Chip Woolley Jr., is the favorite for tomorrow’s 141st Belmont Stakes.
“With a little bit of racing luck, Mine That Bird would be going for the Triple Crown,” said trainer Kiaran McLaughlin, whose colt Charitable Man, winner of the Peter Pan and 2-for-2 at Belmont Park, is the Bird’s top-rated challenger in the mile-and-a-half “Test of the Champion.”
Calvin Borel, who rode Mine That Bird in the Derby, jumped off to ride Rachel in the Preakness but got the mount back for the Belmont. He guaranteed victory early in the week, and hasn’t backed off a bit since.
“I’m 110 percent confident he’ll win,” Borel said yesterday. “That’s why I win races, because I ride horses with confidence. I leave pressure home, especially with a horse like that. I know him like the back of my hand.”
The 42-year-old Cajun, a sudden celebrity after appearances on Leno and Letterman, is poised to become the first jockey to sweep the Triple Crown on different horses.
“I want to win the race for Chip and the owners [Mark Allen and Dr. Leonard Blach],” said Borel. “I owe it to them for giving me the opportunity to ride this colt and make my dream come true.
“I wouldn’t pick any horse in the race over him, and I think I can get the job done.”
Borel’s braggadocio aside, there are plenty of reasons to like Mine That Bird in the Belmont.
* Best horse in the race: Mine That Bird’s winning margin in the Derby was the biggest since 1948. With a better trip, he would have won the Preakness, and he already has beaten six of his nine opponents.
No other Belmont runner has earned two 100-plus Beyer Speed Figures, he’s the only Grade 1 winner in the field, and he was the 2-year-old champion last year in Canada.
* Bred for the distance: His sire, Birdstone, won the Belmont and Travers. He’s inbred to Belmont winner Nashua, and if you go back a few generations in his female family, you find strong European stamina sires like Hyperion, Teddy and Tourbillon.
* Turn of foot: Even if Charitable Man gets out to set a slow pace, Mine That Bird has the explosive late charge to overcome it. His worst-to-first move in the Derby was electrifying, and his last workout showed he still has that kick.
* On top of his game: Mine That Bird, whose primary training consists of long, strong gallops, has held up remarkably well through the rigors of the Triple Crown. A personal observation: After arriving at Belmont Park on Wednesday, Mine That Bird was grazing outside his barn when he reared, bucked and jumped, not once, but three times.
“He’s never done that before,” said Woolley. “He must be feeling good.”