Calvin FLIES!

It's official! Calvin Borel is the KING of Churchill Downs!

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!

1. Dunkirk, Friesan Fire, Chocolate Candy, Mine That Bird, Pioneerof the Nile.11:47 AM May 2nd from TwitterFon
2. Calvin Borel is on FIRE @ Churchill!!!! Maybe a "Bird" will fly in the Derby?!?11:44 AM May 2nd from 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)
• No. 7 --- Join in the Dance, by 1/2
• No. 8 --- Regal Ransom, by 3/4
• No. 9 --- West Side Bernie, by 2
• No.10 --- General Quarters, by 1-1/2
• No.11 --- Dunkirk, by 1-1/2
• No.12 --- Hold Me Back, by 1/2
• No.13 --- Advice, by 3/4
• No.14 --- Desert Party, by 1-1/4
• No.15 --- Mr. Hot Stuff, by 8-1/2
• No.16 --- Atomic Rain, by 3-1/2
• No.17 --- Nowhere to Hide, by 7-1/2
• No.18 --- Friesan Fire, by 1-1/4
• No.19 --- Flying Private

Derby less than 20 hours away ... but today was all about the LADIES (and WOW)!

All I can say is ... Oh. My. GOD!

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!

Who do *I* like today?

This is unusual.

I honestly cannot make my Derby pick. So many of the best horses are out. All of my favorites. All of the horses I WOULD have had at the very top of my list. Okay, maybe not ALL ... but most of them - for certain.

Old Fashioned, retired. The Pamplemousse, out for 6 months to a year. Stardom Bound, out. Square Eddie, was back in - now he's out again. Even Quality Road's quarter crack issues forced him to pull out. So WHO is going to win the Derby in just a few days? I have no freaking clue!

Dunkirk (left)is my "gut feeling" horse at this very moment in time. He's my Barbaro. My Street Sense. My Big Brown. Unless something changes before Saturday morning, I think my gut wants me to stick with him. I want Pletcher to win his first Derby, too. It's time for him to get his roses.

BUT ...

I Want Revenge (below) is just too damn impressive. Don't get me wrong, so are all the other horses. But Revenge just has that ability to get it done no matter WHAT. He's already shown he can overcome adversity, and that is a HUGE plus in the Kentucky Derby. Something most three-year-olds never even have a chance to prove before they enter that starting gate on the first Saturday in May. Well, he already has shown us that talent and more. Plus, Joe Talamo might be young but that kid is ON FIRE. His pledge to donate $25,000 to a Children's Hospital in New Orleans if he wins is just the icing on the cake.

Fresian Fire, Chocolate Candy, Hold Me Back, Pioneerof the Nile ... they all have my attention as well. So in the end, I just don't know. We'll see.

What I do know is that I am probably more excited for Zenyatta's return on FRIDAY right now than anything else! So that is good. That's almost a sure bet right there! ;)

I'll be glad when Saturday night comes along and I can start rooting for my Triple Crown horse ... instead of the Derby horse. That's always a little easier!

My current Derby contender list ...

- This is random, in no particular order and of course VERY flexible ... with 6 weeks to go anything can happen ...

Friesan Fire - His performance in Louisiana last weekend literally blew my socks off! If the track is sloppy on May 2nd, we've definitely seen that he can separate himself from the field!

Old Fashioned - His loss in the Rebel doesn't deter me, just raised some questions. Dominguez had no business moving him as early as he did, and though I hate to say it I really believe his poor timing has cost him the mount.

Dunkirk (right) - If he wins the Florida Derby next week and gets the graded earnings to run in the Derby, I'm not sure there will be any stopping him. We'll see ... and I can't wait to find out if he can overcome that silly "no experience as a two-year-old" curse.

Quality Road - I doubt he can beat Dunkirk in the Florida Derby, but if he can then he will certainly earn a spot near the top of the list!

I Want Revenge - This horse is definitely on the improve, just wondering if we haven't already seen his peak performance. If he's truly great we should get those answers soon enough.

The Pamplemousse - Dominating in the Sham, and he's beaten the likes of Square Eddie. Definitely another gray to watch, the Santa Anita Derby is shaping up to be a big prep! Would like to see what happens if he doesn't go wire-to-wire.

Pioneerof the Nile - Can't wait to see his showdown with The Pamplemousse. April 4th will bring more answers for both horses.

Chocolate Candy - This horse has heart; gotta see what he does on April 4th as well.

Other horses worth mentioning: Theregoesjojo, Win Willy, Papa Clem, Patena, Beethoven, Imperial Council, Warrior's Reward

- Hold Me Back was a shocker today in the Lane's End, and Kent Desormeaux might have a tough choice to make if Theregoesjojo also makes it in - right now he is at #27 on the graded earnings list. A lot of "musical jockeys" going on, as Jerry Bailey and Randy Moss put it today. Should be interesting to see who ends up with which mount come May 2nd!

- Really disappointed in Bittel Road and West Side Bernie, though I admit Bittel Road was my choice and he finished 10th. I'd love for Todd Pletcher to get a Derby win this year, and right now it's looking like Dunkirk is his best shot.

- Larry Jones still has two incredible chances between both Friesan Fire and Old Fashioned. Not hard to imagine either horse running away with it at this point.

- Either way, this seems to be turning into one of the strongest three-year-old crops I think we've seen in a while. That makes it SO much harder to narrow down the choices. Happy we have a lot of high quality horses though, that's never a bad thing!

- Of course I have to bring up the Kentucky Derby Challenge. Mafaaz (left) will be coming over, and apparently might run in the Bluegrass before Derby - which makes me feel a little better about the whole thing. I'm thrilled that they have the desire to open the race up more by allowing an international horse a spot, but in all honesty it is a tough enough battle already. Every year there are well deserving horses who get kicked out of that 20-horse gate. Essentially now it is a 19-horse gate because one horse gets a "free pass." We'll see how that works out. I don't think anyone believes Mafaaz has a chance in hell of winning on May 2nd, myself included, but what a story it would be if he did!

- On a side note, Rags to Riches gave birth to a filly (right) last week and she is absolutely divine! Aside from her leg markings, she looks just like Mom! Thrilled that it's a filly. The bottom line always passes the genes on much better. Maybe next year we'll see a colt from her, but for now this little filly has some big horseshoes to fill!

Feb. 22nd works/breezes

Pioneerof the Nile, Stardom Bound, The Pamplemousse ...

All looking fantastic ...

Is it too early to have my Derby horse?

I still want to see what develops with horses like Stardom Bound, Pioneerof the Nile, Friesan Fire and even Capt. Candyman Can before I make it official ... but after the Southwest today I think I'm pretty set on Old Fashioned!

He just has something special, no doubt about it! Sure it was mainly two-horse race between Old Fashioned and Silver City the whole way ... the rest of the field never really came close to the front ... but he showed that he has heart. So far this horse can run just about anything down, in any fashion, and he still comes away looking like he doesn't even break a sweat. Just. Wow. Let's see how he comes back from this.

In and out ...

Well, Saratoga Sinner is out of the Triple Crown bid. So much for that amazing performance in the Holy Bull. He looked promising too, but there are plenty of others to consider ... as always. Hopefully he'll heal up OK and they won't push him too hard. I know all too well, from very personal experience, what chipped knees can mean for thoroughbreds.

Seems even Square Eddie is facing some setbacks, which bums me out a bit because his last work was a nice one. Since horses don't have "shins" I'm assuming they're referring to either a digital extensor tendon injury or something more serious with the cannon bone (though I hope not). They could also be referring to his tibia, but less likely. Not a huge thing to miss 30 days this early in the season if that's all they're planning on and it's just a sprain or swelling of some sort. He could still rebound, but it definitely hurts his career and his development - physical and mental - toward preparing him for any chance at the Derby. Then again, look at what Big Brown did last year. Won't count Eddie out just yet. Still, it's not a good sign.

Finally some news on Midshipman (and Vineyard Haven) from Dubai. They are doing well and getting ready for their three-year-old debuts. I'm hoping the one they are planning to send back to the US is Midshipman, personally I think he is the most promising but I'm only basing that on his performance in the BC Juvenile. Since we haven't seen anything from either horse since they've been shipped overseas it's hard to judge, so clearly they know better what they are working with.

It's sounding more and more as though they might just be thinking about pointing Stardom Bound towards the Derby instead of the Oaks. And I quote ... "Her new connections have said they could tangle with males in the Santa Anita Derby (gr. I) this spring." So we might see a filly running with the boys this year again after all! Should definitely be exciting to see what she does on Saturday in the Las Virgenes!

Also looking forward to Pioneerof the Nile (right) making his three-year-old debut this Saturday in the Robert B. Lewis Stakes. Just one more to keep an eye on. There will be a few good horses in that race ... I Want Revenge, Brother Keith, Bittel Road, etc. ... so it should be fascinating to see who comes out on top.

The Risen Star should be another good race on Saturday. Lots of good horses there, or else a lot of equal quality horses. We'll find out. Friesan Fire, Indygo Mountain, Giant Oak, Uno Mass, Flying Pegasus. Take your pick.

They are already making Old Fashioned the early favorite for the Derby, which I hate since right now he's the one I'm focused on. I typically avoid the favorites, but then again the past few years have usually seen several co-favorites so we'll see. Plus Big Brown, Street Sense and Barbaro all were early favorites at one point or another ... and I typically stuck with them right along even after their support wavered. Eh, it's worked out for me so far. Looking forward to his Feb. 16th debut, and wondering if we'll hear anything about the breeze he was supposed to have this morning or not.

The list is going to get VERY long, as it does every year around this time, but hopefully by late March or early April it will start to thin out as the best horses rise to the top. ;)