Finally! After the sale! After the jockey decision! After all the drama! All the ridiculous "collusion" and "plots" to keep her out of the race! It looks like she really is gonna make it to the Preakness on Saturday! Which means the BOYS had better WATCH OUT!
I honestly cannot imagine a horse on this EARTH - male, female or "other" LOL - beating this filly! Seriously. I have NEVER seen a horse like her in my lifetime! That's saying a lot! Granted I was not around when the ill-fated Ruffian ran, or Secretariat, or Seattle Slew or even Affirmed. But I think Rachel Alexandra might be right up there with that crowd - for sure!
Now I may be over hyping her just a bit because she didn't have a lot of competition in the Oaks on May 1st. Had Stardom Bound or Justwhistledixie made it maybe it wouldn't have been such a HUGE victory (I mean, 20 1/4 lengths is INSANE for ANY race ... let alone a race like the Kentucky Oaks!). We don't know if she could beat a proven mare like Zenyatta even ... boy would I pay good money to see that race! I'd fly across the WORLD to see it in person if I could!
But just as we saw Rags to Riches spin in the almighty Curlin's face on Belmont day two years ago ... I think we are going to see Rachel absolutely RUN AWAY from these boys in a few days. If not, I will gladly eat my words! I think the whole industry will. She is a freak. A tank. She is bigger than most of these colts (and geldings - counting the Derby winner, Mine that Bird). No reason at all to think she can't run with them ... and past them!
I cannot wait for Saturday afternoon! The sport needs this, desperately! A breath of fresh air! It's going to be great!! GO RACHEL!!! I just wish she had run on May 2nd instead of May 1st, because I swear ... not only would we be potentially looking at a superstar filly, we would be looking at our first Triple Crown winner in 29 years and our first Triple Crown winning FILLY in the history of the sport!
Just wait and see! :)
Calvin will be looking over his shoulder again on Saturday ... but it will be his Derby winning mount Mine that Bird, and the rest of the boys, who will be BEHIND him this time!
Speaking of Calvin, he's on Jay Leno tonight! Can't wait to see him ... love it when he gets this kind of recognition. The man is a legend, truly. Too underrated in our sport and I'm thrilled that he's getting the limelight again, just like he did in 2007 with Street Sense. Couldn't happen to a better guy!
Mine that Bird! From last to first to win by almost 7 lengths! The 2nd biggest long shot in the 135 years of Derby history!
Meant to post something about it yesterday but I was just so jubilant I couldn't form more than a single sentence! Definitely didn't see it coming, even though around 11:45 a.m. CST I had posted a "tweet" that mentioned how "on fire" Calvin was and that maybe he just might "fly" in the Derby as well. Little did I know how accurate that casual statement would turn out to be!
Between Rachel Alexandra in the Oaks and Mine that Bird in the Derby ... Calvin really had an incredible weekend! And it could not happen to a better guy! Who didn't fall in love with Calvin Borel in 2007 when he won the Derby astride Street Sense (my pick for that year!)?!? He is just a JOY to watch. No words can describe it ...
Just watch ... I know it is 10 minutes long but I promise you won't be sorry!!! If you haven't seen it ... which I can't imagine since people have been replaying it everywhere ... please take a few minutes just to check it out. Calvin is always fun to watch after a win, especially after a big win! Plus, you HAVE to appreciate the WAY he won. The way he came through on the rail - when there was virtually NO room to come THROUGH - is just unbelievably incredible. I promise you won't even see him coming until it's too late! Only Calvin Bo-RAIL could possibly pull off such a move! It's why he's such a legend in the sport!
I ended up sticking with Dunkirk, but I also had Pioneerof the Nile (finished 2nd), Friesan Fire, Chocolate Candy (finished 5th) AND Mine that Bird on my top list by 12 noon Saturday. Who knew I'd pick three of the top 5 finishers? Not bad. Dunkirk (finished 11th) stumbled at the start so within seconds of the break I knew he was out - unless he managed to pull off a miracle. My eyes were on him when the gate opened and I saw him go down to his knees. At that second I knew it was over for him, especially after he got caught behind a wall of horses on the first turn and didn't seem to settle well. Sadly, it wasn't meant to be. He ended up grabbing a quarter and injuring himself, though he didn't injure himself as badly as Friesan Fire (finished 18th) did. The post-time favorite finished 2nd to LAST, and was badly injured! Basically he came out of the race with only one good leg left. He will be fine, the injuries aren't life threatening or career-ending ... but will certainly set him back a while. Felt bad for Todd Pletcher and Larry Jones, respectively ... Todd at least will have another try but this was Larry's last Derby (since he is retiring this year). It really is too bad. :( Still believe they were two of the best horses in the race, but the big thing about the Derby is that you need a little LUCK to win it. Not just the best horse.
Waking up to the news that the morning-line favorite I Want Revenge had been SCRATCHED was the REAL shocker of the day, though, I must say. Even more shocking than Mine that Bird's ridiculous upset at 50-1 odds! Find out today that Revenge would be dead right now had they not taken precautions to scratch him from the race, so it certainly is a good thing they did. Felt really bad for Joe Talamo, the kid was really excited about his first Derby (at age 19, though, he has plenty of Derbys ahead of him). At least the horse is safe and all of the horses survived the race this year. The Eight Belles tribute they did had me with tears streaming down my face, more than once. Our industry has come a long way in the last year though, so credit must be given where credit is due. Eight Belles' death was NOT in vain.
Still could not be happier for Calvin Bo-RAIL. What a ride that was. Certainly one for the history books, and even more impressive than what he did with Street Sense two years ago. This guy deserves so much more respect than he gets, and I'm glad now that he has TWO Derby wins under his belt he is getting some. He is an enigma. We'll see if they really do go on to the Preakness. I don't believe for a moment that Mine that Bird is a Triple Crown contender, but if he is I will gladly eat my words! The best thing the little gelding has going for him is his jockey. If anyone can get it done ... it is Calvin Borel! What a horseman he is! No other jockey would have had the guts to get through the hole on the rail he squeezed that horse through ... it truly is awe inspiring! Just what this sport needs ... again! Love you Calvin!!
Still reeling over Rachel Alexandra in the Oaks. I don't believe we've ever seen a horse match what she did, and as impressive as Mine that Bird was in the Derby ... well ... Rachel Alexandra was easily 10 times better. Somehow the incredible field that ran Saturday evening in the most prestigious race in the sport all backed up and allowed Mine that Bird to dominate. But I truly believe that Rachel Alexandra is better than all of those boys put together. She was THAT great, she IS that great! I know they won't do it since word is they are pointing her toward the Acorn ... but it would be lovely to see her race in either the Preakness or Belmont (like Rags to Riches did in 2007).
Either way ... Calvin Borel is the man of the year! No doubt! Last time he had dinner with the Queen of England. Who will he meet now? The sky is the limit for this amazing, brave, humble, talented, colorful man!!
P.S. Here are my "tweets" from yesterday ... after Calvin won a race on the undercard at Churchill ... timestamped to prove that I'm not just blowing smoke LOL! Granted I wasn't totally serious, but I did have my eye on Calvin's horse after that!
Dunkirk, Friesan Fire, Chocolate Candy, Mine That Bird, Pioneerof the Nile.11:47 AM May 2ndfrom TwitterFon
Calvin Borel is on FIRE @ Churchill!!!! Maybe a "Bird" will fly in the Derby?!?11:44 AM May 2ndfrom TwitterFon
2009 Kentucky Derby Complete Finish
No. 1 --- Mine That Bird, by 6-3/4 lengths
No. 2 --- Pioneerof The Nile, by a nose
No. 3 --- Musket Man, by a head
No. 4 --- Papa Clem, by 6
No. 5 --- Chocolate Candy, by a head
No. 6 --- Summer Bird, by 6-1/4 (is another Birdstone son)
Rachel Alexandra might just be the best horse of my lifetime (so far). Just. WOW. There are no words. I knew she was good but ... holy crap! You just have to see for yourself! YOU REALLY HAVE TO SEE IT TO BELIEVE IT!!
The next Ruffian. Maybe even better. She is an absolute FREAK (for those who don't know, in horse racing, that is a GOOD thing)!
To win by 20+ lengths without Calvin Borel even TOUCHING her is just ... indescribable. Truly! Un-be-liev-able! We probably haven't seen anything that impressive since Secretariat's 31-length romp in the Belmont Stakes and that was 36 years ago!!! It's not the distance by which she won, it's HOW she won. Completely in-hand, with no urging at all. I swear she didn't even break a sweat! To win by that much with so little effort is almost frightening!
Calvin is always a joy to watch anyway, but to see him on this filly is even more exciting because she is just so ... above and beyond anything we've seen in so long! Can't imagine there is anything she CAN'T do!
Wow!
I highly doubt any of the colts running in a few hours in the Derby will come close to matching this performance. In fact, I can almost guarantee they won't touch what she has done here. That, my friends, is the safest bet you can make today - for certain!
As for the Derby itself ... the track conditions are screaming for Friesan Fire to waltz home with the roses. But I'm not giving up on Dunkirk, I Want Revenge or even Pioneerof the Nile quite so easily. I just wish all of my earliest favorites hadn't been pulled out of the race because I have NEVER been this indecisive about a Derby - at least not in recent memory. In 9+ years, not since FuPeg, have I not had a pick for the Derby on the night before. This is rare. We'll see what happens tomorrow!
Finally! After the sale! After the jockey decision! After all the drama! All the ridiculous "collusion" and "plots" to keep her out of the race! It looks like she really is gonna make it to the Preakness on Saturday! Which means the BOYS had better WATCH OUT!
I cannot wait for Saturday afternoon! The sport needs this, desperately! A breath of fresh air! It's going to be great!! GO RACHEL!!! I just wish she had run on May 2nd instead of May 1st, because I swear ... not only would we be potentially looking at a superstar filly, we would be looking at our first Triple Crown winner in 29 years and our first Triple Crown winning FILLY in the history of the sport!
