Louisville, KY (My Sportsbook) - Longshot Mine That Bird came roaring down the stretch to capture Saturday's 135th running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs. Winning jockey Calvin Borel notched his second win of the Run for the Roses.
Mine That Bird was sent off as a 50-1 longshot in the 19 horse field. The race was reduced by one when 3-1 program favorite I Want Revenge was scratched Saturday morning with an injured left front ankle.
Owned by Double Eagle Farm and Bueno Suerte Equine, Mine That Bird covered the 1 1/4 miles on a sloppy track in 2:02.66. Borel, who won the 2007 Kentucky Derby with Street Sense, also won Friday's Kentucky Oaks with Rachel Alexandra by more than 20 lengths.
Trained by Bennie Woolley, the three-year-old colt had a similar trip around the Churchill Downs track from Street Sense two years ago. He came from back with Borel keeping the horse along the rail.
Around the turn for home Mine That Bird was kept along the rail, squeezing past his last rival at the top of the stretch. Mine That Bird went on to win by 6 3/4 lengths over Santa Anita Derby champ Pioneerof the Nile. Getting up for third was Illinois Derby winner Musket Man with Arkansas Derby champ Papa Clem holding on for fourth. The 7-2 favorite Friesan Fire finished next to last in the 19 horse field.
"It was a Street Sense move," said Borel who was on the colt for the first time.
Setting the pace for most of the race was Join in the Dance. Pressing the pace was Regal Ransom with Papa Clem and Pioneerof the Nile close behind. Pioneerof the Nile took a short lead on the final turn before Mine That Bird roared past him.
"I really thought this horse had a lot of talent. We just weren't able to see it all yet," said co-owner Leonard Blach. "Today he made my heart sink a little bit when he came by there and he was last, but I was really glad to see him that far in front when he came around a second time."
Here is the complete order of finish for the $2.1 million Kentucky Derby: Mine That Bird, Pioneerof The Nile, Musket Man, Papa Clem, Chocolate Candy, Summer Bird, Join in the Dance, Regal Ransom, West Side Bernie, General Quarters, Dunkirk, Hold Me Back, Advice, Desert Party, Mr. Hot Stuff, Atomic Rain, Nowhere To Hide, Friesan Fire and Flying Private.
Mine That Bird returned $103.20, $54.00 and $25.80. Pioneerof the Nile paid $8.40 and $6.40, and Musket Man paid $12.00 to show,
Mine That Bird collects $1,417,200 with the victory. A winner of five of nine career starts he has nearly $1.8 million in lifetime earnings. He is the only three-year-old who can snap the 31 years drought of Triple Crown winners. Affirmed was the last to sweep the Triple Crown races in 1978.
The Triple Crown series will continue in two weeks with the Preakness Stakes at Baltimore's Pimlico Race Course. The final jewel, the Belmont Stakes, will be held on Saturday, June 6 at Belmont Park.
Mine That Bird was coming off a fourth place finish to Kelly Leak in the Sunland Derby. He was second in the Borderland Derby. also at Sunland Park in New Mexico.
He began his career at Woodbine Race Course in Canada and was voted Canada's champion two-year-old following three straight stakes victories at the Toronto track. Mine That Bird was 12th to Midshipman in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile to close 2008.