A $9,000 Canadian bred horse driven to Louisville in a pickup truck & trailer wins Kentucky Derby.

[Elwood P Dowd]

I still can't get over this story. A 50-1 unknown underdog driven to Kentucky from New Mexico (21 hours) by a guy with a broken leg wins the Kentucky Derby. He beats horses that cost millions owned by people worth billions. Unreal!

[Kittycat]

1. That is so Awesome.

And that is what I would call a real American Horse Story :rofl:

[ooglymoogly]

53. I smell a Sea biscuit movie on the horizon. nt

[bulloney]

68. It better get movie royalties. It won't get post-race income from stud fees since it's a gelding.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

2. A rags to riches story if I ever heard one!

[The Straight Story]

3. The Susan Boyle of horses

:rofl:

[KittyWampus]

5. DUZY!

[Arctic Dave]

7. I hope they "tart up" the horse now that it is famous. LOL

[Oldtimeralso]

8. How Much Can You Tart Up A Gelding? n/t

[Arctic Dave]

11. First the geliding, then the implants. Next thing you know it has whorish make up

on at noon on a Monday.

[Posteritatis]

50. Rrk.. mental.. image.. winning! (nt)

[Raster]

32. Ask Simon Cowell

[Better Believe It]

15. Yes. But can the horse sing?

[ooglymoogly]

54. except this horse could have won a beauty pageant as well

and would have been much smarter than the other contestants.

[janx]

56. He's a gorgeous horse!

:loveya:

[bklyncowgirl]

87. And his humans say he's very smart.

Someone pointed out on one of the racing boards that he switched leads to get around a slowing horse with a big surge, switched back to cruise and then when he needed a burst of speed to get through a hole on the rail switched again and just did it. The jockey couldn't tell him to do that, not in the split second timing it took, he knew what he had to do and did it.

He also took in all the fuss with the post race parade like he'd been running in these big races all his life.

Cool little horse. When his racing days are over and the owners are looking for someone to give him a home and a new career as a pleasure horse, I'm willing to volunteer!

[emilyg]

4. Gotta love it.

Dreams do come true.

[femmocrat]

6. A genuine "dark horse" won!

A story made for Hollywood.

[alfredo]

9. His charge at the end was something of beauty. It was

like the turbo kicked in. They Jockey was a real jewel. His response was priceless.

[Patiod]

34. The way he came up the rails was a thing of beauty

We snuck mini-bottle of wine into my dad's room at the nursing home (he's there for 2 weeks for ortho rehab) and had a mini-Kentucky Derby party. One of the Haitian aids snuck in and watched with us - he knows a lot about the different jockeys and was telling us who to watch and why.

All of a sudden, my SO said "hey - watch that horse on the rail! He's breaking out!" (yeah, so we don't know the lingo - we're not horse people).

Very fun!

It was also pretty funny when my 85 yo dad told me to hide the wine so he wouldn't get in trouble - but he was pretty quick to ditch his water, save the ice, and put the cup out for a snort when we showed up!

[alfredo]

40. My sister in law knows the jockey. She said he's a hug machine. He's

one of the nicest guys you could ever meet. She works with the horse industry and knows everyone who's anyone in the business.

[tabasco]

49. Nice story.

I used to like watching the race with my mom.

[rcrush]

10. I got 100 bucks on him!

[truedelphi]

17. You owe us all a free beer or something.

Good choice to put your money on. Congrats!

[elleng]

12. Great Jockey!

Catch pic of the ride if you can; 2/3 ON THE RAIL!

[malaise]

13. It's a great story

and they also won the Oaks yesterday.

[jtrockville]

14. Hard work beats talent...

when talent doesn't work hard.

[Dappleganger]

16. Yay for the Cutters!

Townies RULE. :)

[pscot]

18. Go Canada, Eh?

:toast:

[NM Independent]

69. No, not go Canada. GO NM!! That horse is from NM damnit! :D n/t

:spank:

[truedelphi]

19. Here is a URL that has film footage of the race in case you missed it

Notice that the announcer does one of two things - he either "mis-recognizes" Mine that Bird calling out its fantastic sprint that puts him far ahead of the others - but while doing that, gives the horse another horse's name - or else the announcer doesn't notice "Mine that Bird" at all.
Until it is all over!

This horse really truly was not expected to win!

http://www.youtube.com/kentuckyderby

[Elwood P Dowd]

20. I watched it, and the announcer blew that call.

The race was almost over before he knew what the fuck was going on.

[truedelphi]

21. Yep, "Mine That Bird" gets mentioned just twice

before the announcer has to give it up and make it clear that Mine that Bird has won it.

The horse is mentioned as being at the end of the pack - and then the horse is totally ignored until he is some three lengths in front of the others and a mere ten seconds from the finish line.

I wonder if the announcer will get served crow tonight? I'm guessing those holding tickets for "Mine That Bird" were pretty surprised as well.

[truedelphi]

23. And did anyone at the Derby mention the announcer's goof?

I forgot that since I'm in Califonria, waiting till 3:50 Pm to turn on the telly is not the way to get to see the show live.

[malaise]

60. A beautifully ridden race

Love how he beat the millionaires.

[hay rick]

77. Real time.

The announcer did a creditable job. Race calls typically involve a serial recitation of the position of several horses on the track. It is not unusual for horses to change their relative position while the announcer's call takes place.

I give track announcers a lot of credit. They have to differentiate the horses by some combination of color and silks- many of which are very similar and numbers which are often not visible (or legible on a sloppy track). The Derby is particularly tough to call because it usually has 20 (this one had 19) horses. Most races have 6-10 horses and 12 is usually considered a full field- with additional entries consigned to the also-eligible list.

Mine That Bird threaded his way through on the rail around the eighth pole while the announcer was busy describing the relative positions of the front flight of horses that had been battling for the lead. It usually takes about 13 seconds for the horses to get home from the eighth pole- not a lot of time to finish the sentence you started, identify the "new" horse and start the next call. The announcer threw in a telltale "uh" but otherwise handled it pretty well I thought.

[truedelphi]

83. The announcers really don't have it easy.

in fact, it probably wouldn't have been noteworthy except that most of the time their calls are spot on.

In this case, "Mine that Bird' really slipped in along the rail and is not that noticeable until he has the lead.

[napi21]

22. I'm sooo happy for the owner and the hore! I heard there were several horses

flown from Dubai to run in the Derby. I have no idea which ones they were, and I feel very sorry for the horses to have to fly that long, but I'm damn glad they're going home empty!I'm trying not to show my prejudice, but I don't want some horse owner from Dubai winning the Derby!

[taterguy]

30. Someone who does something for money isn't automatically a hore

Shame on you for insinuating that

[bread_and_roses]

67. You'd like to see the Sheiks win?

The very same who recently denied entry to an Israeli athlete for some sports event? Who build palatial playgrounds for the rich while stowing away their workers in squalor? They've been trying to buy themselves a Derby for years by spending goddess knows how many millions on horses. I am always happy to see their horses finish up the track (though safe and sound of course). And to see them beat by a horse who cost < $10,000 when they spend millions on yearlings is sweet, sweet.

[u4ic]

24. Not a Canadian-bred - he was foaled in KY

However, he was champion 2 yr old male in Canada last year.

Still, I love it when the 'little guy' wins.

[Double T]

25. I love it when sniveling stinking filthy rich scumbag bastards get screwed............

by the person they have been screwing and scoffing at for centuries.

[bluebellbaby]

26. Just goes to show you...Don't count the Underdog Out!

So inspiring...

[Canuckistanian]

27. Not our horse - Kentucky-bred

He spent a lot of time in Canada and won the prize for the best 2-year old in Canada last year.

But he was definitely foaled in the US.

[Omnibus]

28. I bet they wish they hadn't gelded him.

That cost them millions in stud fees.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

36. He might never have even ran the race if he wasn't gelded. It's often done to

calm a male horse down.

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

52. maybe they can clone him

it may be a workable solution one day.

[jberryhill]

55. Against NTRA Rules

You can't race a cloned horse.

You can't even race an artificially inseminated horse.

Thoroughbreds are required to be made the old fashioned way.

[bklyncowgirl]

86. According to reports he was a bit too interested in the ladies to do his job.

Most male race horses learn to supress their urges. It sounds like this little guy got the hormone rush big time and since he was of unfasnionable breeding and on the small size they gelded him.

Looking at the way he moves, when his racing career's over he'd make someone a nice hunter some day. Just kidding about that, most likely he'll end up his days fat and spoiled on his owner's ranch--or become his trainer's personal stable pony the way Funny Cide did.

[muriel_volestrangler]

29. Meh. The Grand National was won this year by a horse at 100-1

Mon Mome becomes first 100-1 Grand National winner since Foinavon

Mon Mome became the first 100-1 shot to win the Grand National in more than 40 years when he powered to a shock 12-length victory at Aintree today. The result means Mon Mome's trainer, Venetia Williams, becomes only the second women to ever train a National winner.

Mon Mome moved into the race soon after turning for home and began to ease away from his rivals after jumping the final fence to emulate Foinavon, who also won at odds of 100-1, back in 1967.

Williams admitted she was stunned at Mon Mome's victory, adding: "How can you ever expect that in a race like this?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2009/apr/04/mon-mome-grand-national

[Joe Chi Minh]

48. But I think Jennie Pitman won it two or three times within a few years, didn't she?

Incidentally, I think Mon Mome's public form was a lot better than Mine The Bird's, and shouldn't have been close to 100/1. But, however, brilliantly steered by Morel, Mine The Bird looked a bit of a "machine" to me. I hope I'm vindicated in that and he wins a few more top races.

[carincross]

31. Alaskan GOP scandal tie-in

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/251/story/67394.html
(Anchorage Daily News)
"Mine That Bird, is one of the horses bought by the son of former Veco boss Bill Allen in a buying spree of thoroughbreds using the money the family got from the sale of former oil field services company Veco. Mark Allen's Double Eagle Ranch of Roswell, N.M., has a number of race horses, including a stud once partly owned by former Sen. Ted Stevens. ... Bill Allen is the central figure in Alaska's political corruption scandal."

[AndrewJacksonFaction]

33. Yep. Interesting.

http://newsminer.com/weblogs/dermot-cole/2009/may/02/bill-allens-son-claims-kentucky-derby-prize/

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

38. You should post this on its own thread. I think people have to read this.

[Born_A_Truman]

41. This takes nothing away from Mine That Bird, IMO

I saw the AP jumping all over the "corruption figure's son owns Derby winner" this morning too.

Yesterday, I took my youngest daughter to Hollywood Park for the races as I have always watched the Kentucky Derby on tv and this was the next best thing to actually going in person. I made reservations for the Turf Club and we had such a great day!

When the Derby came on the noise was thunderous! You couldn't believe the noise of the crowd going crazy when Mine That Bird wove around and on the rail coming from behind to win by a little over 6 lengths.

Mine That Bird was so little he never got bogged down in the sloppy track, he glided on top of the mud!

But the MSM/AP wants to bog him in the mud today.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

42. You are right, this absolutely doesn't take away from this horse winning

the Derby, a magnificent win at that. I just find it a very interesting back story and think others would find it interesting as well.

It sounds like you had a wonderful time with your daughter. It brought back fond memories of my parents taking me to the NY tracks as a child. I've been very fortunate enough to see a few Belmonts run in person. I've taken my sons to Saratoga but they were more interested in the video games there than the races. :)

Meanwhile, yesterday, I turned on the tv just before post time and watched the Derby as I have done for more than 50 years and enjoyed an exciting race. Kudos to Mine The Bird and Borel's incredible ride!

:hi:

[Born_A_Truman]

70. We had a great mother-daughter day!

We didn't wear hats but dressed for the club and had a fabulous buffet lunch. We saw some fabulous outfits and hats. Everyone was really into the whole Kentucky Derby scene.

Heather had never bet on a horse race so this was all new for her. I had several winners--the biggest one only paid $8.00--but we were only doing $2.00 bets, so we didn't go broke. :rofl:

Our table had a small tv with all the different race tracks on different channels and when the Derby came on the excitement was palatable.

[nolabear]

61. Are we playing Six Degrees of Sarah Palin?

:applause:

[procopia]

63. More details at themudflats

http://www.themudflats.net/

[vanboggie]

64. Right, this wasn't rags to riches

Google the horses the ranch itself has purchased. Mine the Bird just happened to be a heck of a good deal.

That said, it's an awesome horse and I'm happy for the trainer and jockey :)

[spanone]

35. and one of the horses he ran against cost 3.7 M I L L I O N....you gotta love it

[Fire1]

37. Now that's justice for your ass!

:)

[PopSixSquish]

39. Wow - That Horse Just Came Out of Nowhere

Extra bag of oats for ya sweetie!!

[janx]

43. There are some great photos of this horse in the Albuquerque

Journal today.

Quotes from the article:

"The colt cost $9,500 as a yearling, and his trainer is Bennie "Chip" Woolley, a 45-year-old Bloomfield resident. After Mine That Bird finished fourth and second in two stakes races at Sunland Park Racetrack earlier this year, Woolley drove a pickup truck pulling a van containing Mine That Bird on a 21-hour, 1,700-mile trek to Louisville."

"...He wore a black cowboy hat and hobbled into the winner's circle on crutches. He broke his right ankle in a motorcycle accident in January."

[janx]

44. Here are some fun quotes published in the ABQ Journal today:

"Those cowboys, they came with a good horse."
--Three-time Derby-winning trainer Bob Baffert

"All I asked (jockey Borel) was to lay the horse back and be patient, and he did that magically."
--Woolley

"I learned by Street Sense being so patient with these 3-year-olds. They can only go so fast, so far. When I hollered at him, he just went on."
--Borel

"We've been friends for years. We're very proud of this horse. I just shows what can be done when a couple of buddies get together, go to the races, have a good time, have a little fun and dream a little bit and your dreams will come true."
--Blach, of his relationship with Allen

"It made my heart sink when he was last when he came around the first time. I was just glad to see him that far in front when he came around the second time."
--Blach, of Mine That Bird's slow start

"Mine That Bird: Lowest rated horse in the field by any standards. Stay away."
--BETFIRMS.COM

"This could only happen in horse racing, that a nobody from nowhere could win the sport's most cherished prize."
--Gary West, Fort Worth Star-Telegram

"Join in the Dance and Mine That Bird are both listed at 50-1 and will be around the early lead...but not for long."
--Ron Rippey, New Jersey Star-Ledger

:rofl:

[ellie]

45. I just watched it on Youtube.

What a nice horse!

[lonestarnot]

46. Heh!

[leftofthedial]

47. god damned outsourcing!

[ooglymoogly]

51. Just think how the ascot crowd feels

having to hold their noses through the entire race and all.

This wonderful horse will go down in history as the epitome and mascot of the robber baron times we are living in.

[sammythecat]

57. Awesome race

Great job by the jockey and that horse has a turbocharger in him. Incredible burst of speed at the end of the race. That was exciting.

[liberal N proud]

58. I had two favorites in the race and that was second

The other was General Quarters. An old retired school teacher trying his luck. He was a stable of one. General Quarters actually had better odds. The winner was a 50-1 odds horse.

Glad to see the long shot, little guy beat all the millionaires.

[kentuck]

59. Imagine this:

Two cowboys are driving thru the desert country of New Mexico in their pickup truck and are talking about winning the Kentucky Derby and getting the motorcycle fixed and a new, more powerful engine for the old pick-up. The camera pulls away as we see the small horse trailer hooked to the pickup as it fades into the distance...

First scene shows them sitting in a bar watching a horse race in the background. They are talking about how they can make any money on their horses.. The jockey on the TV rides the rail and wins an upset victory with a horse named Street Sense. The crowd cheers in the background as they finish off their beers...fade..

Next scene, they are discussing buying a thoroughbred, because there just ain't that much money in quarter-horses anymore. One of the cowboys mentions that he has a connection up in Alaska to his old friend, Senator Ted Stevens, and he might be able to rustle up a little money.

Next scene, they are looking at this smallish colt that seems to have a lot spunk but, although the price is right, they question whether or not he is big enough to run against the big boys...They gamble and pay $9500 for him.

Next scene shows the colt running in the field and they are discussing running the colt up in Canada just to see what he can do? They show him winning several races and they decide they are going to take him to the Kentucky Derby...The rest is history...

This would make a very good movie. I could write the screenplay. :-)

[FourScore]

62. The time is ripe for a new Seabiscuit!

This is a GREAT story.

[jumptheshadow]

65. Wow, geldings rarely win Derbies

I don't know why -- maybe because the bluebloods are kept intact for breeding purposes?

But this is not something that happens often.

[NashVegas]

78. They Don't Get Entered Because You Can't Make Money Off Of Breeding Fees

At least, that's my theory :)

Wanna bet some clone company starts a PR push to change the "live cover" (ie, plain old mating, with witnesses) rule?

[bklyncowgirl]

88. Most male racehorses aren't gelded--especially the precocious colts that make it to the Derby

Usually the only male racehorses who are gelded young are those who have behavioral or health issues. In Mine That Bird's case, his hormones were in overdrive and he couldn't get his mind off the ladies. The great John Henry was a mean SOB. Funny Cide had an undescended testicle which interfered with his running. None of those horses would have become the champions they were if they had not been gelded.

My own Thoroughbred was never raced but his owner had hopes so he was not gelded until he was almost 3 (pleasure horses are usually cut much earlier). He looks like a stud and let a new mare get in his sight and he draws himself up and prances like he was the handsomest guy around.

[NashVegas]

90. Expected Something Like That

It's great that the owners chose to run him anyway and, looking at his winnings, even without stud fees there's a good profit. It's kind of like an band recording an album for $1k and having a monster hit (that's how it happened for the Eurythmics, way back when).

[bklyncowgirl]

93. Oh they'd run him as a gelding--what else are they going to do with him?

Actually geldings frequently make better racehorses--not quite as easily distracted from the job.

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

66. Welcome to Barack Obama's America...

Even the horse-racing is changed for the better.

[Just-plain-Kathy]

71. Prior to the race my brother asked me if I wanted to make a bet...

...I looked at the list of the horses names and Mine the Bird jumped out at me. Once, early in the morning I was driving up a steep curvy hill...the sun was blinding me, but I had to accelerate in order to get home. I kept my eye on the white line on my right. All of a sudden a blue jay nearly hit my window. I braked a bit, and there, -about fifteen feet in front of my car was a little girl standing in the street waiting for her school bus. I felt if the bird didn't pop out, I may have hit that little girl.

...Now I only wish a parted with my ten dollars. :(

[sasquatch]

72. Just like the Seabisquit drama during the depression

:woohoo:

[AllyCat]

73. Loved this horse, but hardly rags-to-riches story

He was bred in KY and sold for only 9,500 when they didn't think he'd do anything (and was gelded). He was sold to a Canadian owner and actually did really well as a 2 year old. He was a Canadian champion, but then sold for about $400,000 to the present group. They started him in some NM races where he didn't place well and none of them was a graded stakes race.

However, they decided to run him in Louisville which makes sense if you feel you have a good horse and he's gelded so you aren't gonna make anything on stud fees.

Lots of hullaballo has been made on the "curtness" of Chip to the media after his win (mostly horsey blogs I frequent). Frankly, I don't blame the guy for getting ticked off at them. They'd not done their homework. Until about 15 lengths before the end of the race, the NBC announcer never even mentioned the horse's name. When he won, they couldn't talk to him about anything except the fact that he had to drive the horse there himself. "And how many miles was that?" Who frickin' cares?? He had to drive the horse himself because Brookledge doesn't transport out west. No one does except a general speciality commercial hauler. If he drove himself, he'd know what kind of care and treatment the horse was getting and he was able to stop in TX to let Bird out to stretch his legs.

As always, the Press Corpse couldn't do its job and this time, they couldn't even get a sports story right for chrissakes.

The horse was awesome. He ran past those others from last to first in about 3/16 of a mile. He wove in and out of traffic like a motorcycle splitting lanes on the CA freeway. Calvin is a superb jockey and the horse has a brave heart of gold. What a race. What a finish. And I'm so glad the media got their butts handed to them by the trainer. $400K is a lot of money, but certainly less than multiple millions though :)

[XOKCowboy]

74. Not exactly Rags To Riches...

Not when your dad is part of the Veco scandal in Alaska. Love the horse. The owner? Not so much.

http://www.themudflats.net/2009/05/03/black-hat-mint-julep-piles-of-cash-and-karmic-imbalance-alaska-meets-kentucky/

[all.of.me]

75. Yay! Go NM! Go underdogs! Underhorses? ;) nt

[Submariner]

76. I wonder if a lot of Thoroughbreds are worrying about being gelded soon

to make them go faster? I wouldn't want to be a race horse right now with an owner maybe thinking of removing the family jewels. :scared::scared::scared:

[MasonJar]

79. The tv announcer (I guess he was the Chuchill announcer) didn't even

notice Calvin and "Bird" until they were two or three lengths in front of the pack. How embarrassing for him that he was still gushing about the same two or three horses as "Mine That Bird" struck gold and flew right by. He must have been 3 or 4 lengths ahead before the announcer figured out his name.

[kitty1]

80. Mind that Bird is a Canadian bred horse....

Mine That Bird is only the third horse of Canadian pedigree to win the Derby. His great-great-grandfather, the legendary Northern Dancer, won it in 1964, and Sunny's Halo wore the roses in 1983.
Toronto native Dave Cotey was the former owner and trainer and bought the gelding originally for $9,500.

[u4ic]

85. He's not a Canadian bred - it's already been mentioned a few times

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=5585044&mesg_id=5585610

Only 7 of the past 20 Kentucky Derby winners haven't had a Canadian-bred sire or dam somewhere in their pedigree in the first five generations.

[jimlup]

81. Just like the ass hat investiment bankers...

who claim that they are worth millions and only they can do bank business. Yeah, right!

[Obamanaut]

82. I certainly hope he wasn't wearing $540 shoes. If so, there will

soon be folks saying words to the effect "How dare he!"

[ContinentalOp]

84. Why do they have to give these poor horses such stupid names? -nt-

[sammythecat]

100. Good question

Mine That Bird?

Sounds like it came out of some random word generator.

[rusty fender]

89. I live in NM and saw the race and story on the local news

It led the local news. I loved the clips of the news conference where the cowboys were interviewed. Cowboys winning the most stuck-up horse race in America--gotta love it!

[derby378]

91. A real-life "Bottle of Smoke"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HfPhwFVlAK0

One of my favorite songs ever, but be warned - it may be too much for delicate ears. :evilgrin:

[brentspeak]

92. Horses that do a lot of training and racing in Canada are often a cut above the rest

Constant competition against good horses.

[bklyncowgirl]

94. Compare The Bird's Derby with that of the only horse to run the last quarter of the Derby faster

That would be Secretarariat.

Secretariat comes up from last place and bears down on the leaders like an oncoming train in slow motion. The very, very, good very game horse Sham tries to match strides but he just can't keep up. Sham, I believe, still holds the distinction of having the second fastest time in the Derby.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RGPGVuMhmY

Now look at Mind That Bird. Yup that's the horse who for most of the race is dead last. Half way through the backstretch Calvin gives the word and he explodes. He's flying, just flying and dodging tired horses the whole way. Unlike Secretariat, who had to put away Sham, had three very tired horses who were bearing out all over the place, bumping into each other as Mind That Bird flew by him.

http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/22825103/vp/30539276#30538025

It's even more dramatic in the overhead view.

http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/22825103/vp/30539276#30539276

[sammythecat]

95. Very interesting. Thanks.

I never knew Secretariat came from way behind like that, and it's too bad there's not a better quality video of that race. And it's also too bad Sham had to run the same year. He deserved a win too.

Thanks again. Nice bit of info there.

[Elwood P Dowd]

96. And just as you think you've seen it all, there is this....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cS4f6wiQJh4&feature=related

[sammythecat]

99. Wow. Thrilling

If I was a kid, I'd want to grow up to be a horse and do that.

[bklyncowgirl]

101. Ah, nothing will ever beat that.

Secretariat's Belmont was an awesome thing.

[ddeclue]

97. Damned Illegal Immigrant Canadian Horses taking American horse jobs...

:rofl:

:rofl:

[ddeclue]

98. So NOW what? Can't breed him - he's a gelding.....

All this did was take away breeding jobs from the other horses...

Poor horsey... no horsey nookey for you!

:cry: