Woodbine Star Wins The Kentucky Derby - Lessons in Hindsight

On Friday while I was busy posting about the last Canadian horse to win the Kentucky Derby, another Canadian champion was preparing to stun the world by following in the footsteps of Sunny's Halo. Though not Canadian-bred, Mine That Bird won the Sovereign Award as Canada's top two-year-old last season on the strength of wins in the Swynford Stakes and Coronation Futurity at Woodbine for local trainer David Cotey - both races also won by Sunny's Halo.

Rob Longley, a local racing columnist, penned an excellent piece on Mine That Bird's local connections in Saturday's Toronto Sun. Longley's column contains the following quote from Mine That Bird's current trainer Chip Woolley:

"I'm a definite underdog, I know that," Woolley said. "But I do know that you can't win if you don't even try."

Understatement of the decade. Mine That Bird not only won the Kentucky Derby, he looked like the only horse capable of reaching the distance and was such a handy winner that jockey Calvin Borel performed everything but a touchdown dance in the last 40 yards to the wire. Had Churchill Downs announcer Mark Johnson put on his best Chris Berman impression and rumbled, "He...Could...Go...All...The..Way...," it would have been just as fitting. Mine That Bird intercepted this race from the throws of all the would-be favourites and took it to the house for all the points.

Hours before Kentucky Derby post-time yesterday, I sat in the press box at Woodbine where not a single local writer voiced an opinion that the Sovereign Award winner could steal the day. In fact, I shudder to think how many might have selected Mine That Bird to finish last in the press-box Derby pool requiring a pick for both the winner and the last place finisher in the Derby. As it turns out, Flying Private would finish last edging out the top choice of most "experts" to win the Derby, Friesan Fire. In all fairness to Friesan Fire, there may be a built-in excuse for his trip as the horse bloodied his left front hoof leaving the gate. Friesan Fire would close to sixth position at the clubhouse turn before fading.

Looking back over my own blog posts that deal with Mine That Bird, there are two items of hindsight that had I been paying closer attention might have made for some interesting stories leading into the Derby. More so than any ticket I had hoped to cash, upon reflection I wish I had taken a closer interest in the back story of Mine That Bird.

1. Added as an afterthought to a mini-interview with Bear Stables owner Danny Dion was a golden nugget of information. From my December 13th, 2008 blog posting:

Dion made it known that his main goal is to one day find a Bear in the winner's circle of the Kentucky Derby. Dion wasn't the only Sovereign winner gunning towards the Run For The Roses, the connections of Champion 2 Year-Old Male, Mine That Bird, also announced they were pointing toward the first Saturday in May. Look out Kentucky!

2. As recently as this past Wednesday, I spoke to jockey Chantal Sutherland and asked if she had been approached to ride Mine That Bird in the Kentucky Derby. From my April 30th, 2009 blog posting:

Sutherland was close to getting a mount in the Derby herself having been the regular rider of Mine That Bird throughout 2008. Unfortunately, the owner decided to go with the experience of Calvin Borel. Sutherland, with her usual cheery smile, commented, "They gave me the call and then one of the owners decided they wanted Calvin Borel. He's won the Derby and has experience. That's okay, I'm getting closer though."

Hindsight is 20/20 and you can be sure the next Woodbine horse to race in the Derby will be under the microscope!

My favourite part of the race had to be Calvin Borel's ridiculously brave move to the rail to find a hole barely big enough for a pony yet somehow jockey and horse managed to scrape through. It's the sort of decision that turns a race result from "checked, blocked" to winner and shock. Borel's absolute joy at winning his second Derby is completely justified.

After the race, Mine That Bird's trainer was the picture of polite and popped up with the following kinds words,"A guy named Dave Cotey in Canada is the guy who really qualified this horse to be here,” Wolley said. “He deserves a lot of the credit and deserves to be here.”

No doubt many Canadian writers, handicappers, and racing fans are kicking themselves after watching Mine That Bird's dominating 50-1 demolition Derby but we will take solace in the fact that this horse was once a Woodbine champion. A Woodbine horse ignored his own press clippings and shocked the world to win the Kentucky Derby.

I couldn't be happier.