Mine That Bird Zips in Churchill Workout
- Louisville, KY - Oct. 25, 2010 - Double Eagle Ranch and Buena
Suerte Equine’s Mine That Bird, winless since his huge 50-1 upset
victory in the 2009 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I),
worked five-eighths of a mile in 1:00 at Churchill Downs Oct. 25.
TIME FOR A CIGAR AQHA CHAMPION 3-YEAR-OLD GELDING 2009 Time For A Cigar (Corona Cartel-Time
For A Goddess by Timeto Thinkrich) won six of eight starts and
earned $318,334 for owners Mark Allen et al’s Double Eagle Ranch and
Dr. Leonard Blach’s Buena Suerte Equine
of Roswell, New Mexico, the same connections who own Kentucky Derby
winner Mine That Bird (TB). Time For A Cigar won the Ruidoso Derby
(G1) and Sunland Park Winter Derby (G2). He was bred by
Abigail Kawananakoa of Nuevo, California, trained by Tony Sedillo
and ridden in his races by Mark Villa, Freddie Martinez and Casey
Lambert.
read complete story and list of this year's winners....
CONGRATULATION NMHBA STATE-BRED CHAMPIONS January 29, 2010 –
Reigning AQHA champion aged stallion First Moonflash was
among the 12 state-bred horses honored during the New Mexico
Horse Breeders’
Association Zia Awards banquet
in Albuquerque on Thursday.
Left
to right – Dr. Leonard P. Blach, Calvin and Lisa Borel and Mike
Cadotte,
President NMHB Association
FYI: Birdstone's Fee Upped to $30,000 -
(Saturday, November 14, 2009) Birdstone , sire of two of the
three United States classic winners this year, will stand in 2010 for $30,000,
up from $10,000, at the Beck family’s Gainesway Farm near Lexington. Birdstone’s
son Mine That Bird won the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I).
Another son, Summer Bird, took the Belmont Stakes (gr. I). Birdstone's half
brother So Long Birdie stands at Buena Suerte Equine in
Roswell, NM.
Roswell, NM (Nov. 14, 2009) Kentucky Derby
winner Mine That Bird has returned to his New
Mexico base and is getting some time off
following his ninth-place finish in last
weekend's $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic. He
is settled in at a Roswell training center
facility (Double
Eagle Training Center) owned by Mark Allen,
who races Mine That Bird in partnership with Dr.
Leonard Blach (Buena
Suerte Equine).
"He's home at Double Eagle, turned out," said
Chip Woolley, who trains Mine That Bird. "We're
going to rest him for a while, probably get him
back up the first of the year."
Woolley said Mine That Bird's campaign for
2010 will begin to be mapped out when he resumes
training. The plan is to keep the horse on dirt,
on which he won the Kentucky Derby and also
finished second in the Preakness and third in
the Belmont Stakes.
Mine That Bird, a winner of more than $2
million, earned a Beyer Figure of 95 in the
Breeders' Cup Classic, which was run over Santa
Anita's Pro-Ride.
Goodwood:
Quality Foes Await Mine That Bird
- Mine That Bird, stunning 50-1
winner of the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum!
Brands (gr. I) this spring, has hooked a highly
contentious field for his first try against older
horses in Oak Tree's $350,000 Goodwood Stakes (gr.
I) at Santa Anita Oct. 10.
The 3-year-old Birdstone gelding is reunited again
with Calvin Borel by trainer Chip Woolley for the 1
1/8-mile Goodwood, which attracted a field of 10.
The race, the seventh on the program, is one of four
Breeders' Cup Challenge events on the Oak Tree
program and guarantees the winner a place in the $5
million Breeders' Cup Classic (gr. I) Nov. 7 at
Santa Anita. Mine That Bird, who will be the first
non-Southern California-based Derby winner to run at
Santa Anita since Spectacular Bid in 1980, drew the
far outside post. photo: Benoit
MINE
THAT BIRD DRILLS FIVE FURLONGS AT OAK TREE; DERBY WINNER
PLANS TO RUN IN GR. I GOODWOOD OCT. 10; TRAINER PRAISES
SURFACE, EYES $5 MILLION B.C. CLASSIC - Mine That Bird, upset
winner of this year’s Kentucky Derby, registered his first
workout at Santa Anita Tuesday morning, drilling five
furlongs under Joe Talamo in 1:01.80 in preparation for Oak
Tree’s Gr. I, $350,000 Goodwood Stakes Oct. 10.
As trainer Bennie “Chip” Woolley and a gaggle of media
looked on, the 3-year-old gelding by Birdstone walked to
Santa Anita’s Pro-Ride synthetic main track at 8:05 a.m. and
jogged counter-clockwise on the outer rail under Talamo, who
deputized Tuesday morning for regular rider Calvin Borel.
Benoit Photo
TRAINER CHIP WOOLLEY HAPPY WITH MINE THAT BIRD’S
RECENT ALBUQUERQUE WORK
- September 18, 2009 – Bennie L. “Chip” Woolley Jr.,
the trainer of Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Mine That
Bird, said the 3-year-old gelding came out of his
September 14 workout at The Downs at Albuquerque in
good shape.
Mine That Bird worked 4 furlongs in :47-2/5 between
the first and second races at the Albuquerque track.
The drill was the fastest of 15 at the distance that
day.
Mine
That Bird now in Albuquerque, NM
Mine That Bird and trainer Chip Woolley are
currently in Albuquerque, NM at the Downs at
Albuquerque where the "BIRD" is scheduled to work a
mile and half on Monday. For you fans in the
Albuquerque area the work is scheduled between the
1st and 2nd race at the Downs at Albuquerque. First
post 3:00 MDT.
Woolley vanned the 'BIRD" to the Downs at
Albuquerque on Friday afternoon following the open
house at Double Eagle Ranch in Roswell.
"The reason we are stopping in Albuquerque is that
the track is open and it's a little closer to
California," said trainer Chip Woolley. "Right now
we are going to stay put, I like the track surface
here and we want to wait for some of the smoke to
clear out around Santa Anita. As soon as they get
the fires under control and the air clears, we will
make our move." -photo by
SureBet
MINE
THAT BIRD - Blessed and Honored by fans in Roswell -
Mine That
Bird gazed curiously at the priest dressed in a white and
murmuring a prayer in front of him. “I’ve never blessed a
Kentucky Derby winner before,” the priest said. “They never
taught me how to do this in the seminary.”
After a short invocation and a few quick splashes of holy
water on his mane, Mine That Bird was finally ready to
accept the city of Roswell’s gift to him.
Several thousand people visited Double Eagle Ranch during
the five hour open house in Roswell, NM, to catch a glimpse
of their home-town hero "Mine That Bird". As part of the
celebration City Councilor Art Sandoval announced to the
crowd that May 2 would from now on officially be known as
Mine That Bird Day.
Dedication "Mine That Bird" - Ruidoso Downs
Racetrack - Sept. 7, 2009
Sculpture by Don Hershberger
135th Kentucky Derby winner "Mine That Bird"
leads the post-parade
for the 51st running of the All American Futurity [G1]
at
Ruidoso Downs Racetrack
Sept. 7, 2009
Mine That Bird To Lead Post Parade For All American Futurity at
Ruidoso Downs
RUIDOSO DOWNS, New Mexico (July 19, 2009) – Kentucky
Derby winner Mine That Bird will lead the post parade for the Grade
1, $2 million All American Futurity, the world’s most celebrated
quarter horse race, on Labor Day, September 7 at Ruidoso Downs.
“New Mexico is our home and everybody in New Mexico has supported
us,” said Mine That Bird’s co-owner Mark Allen. “The people deserve
to see him and we’re excited about being able to parade him for the
All American.”
Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird
is shown galloping at Ruidoso Downs this morning. He arrived
at Ruidoso Downs on Wednesday and will lead the post parade
for the Grade 1, $2 million All American Futurity on Monday
afternoon.
- Photo by Ty Wyant
Mine That Bird Works At Ruidoso Downs Monday
- RUIDOSO DOWNS, New Mexico (September 7,
2009) – Kentucky Derby winner Mine
That Bird worked one-half mile in :48 on Monday morning at
Ruidoso Downs, continuing his preparations for the Grade 1,
$5 million Breeders Cup Classic on November 7 during the Oak
Tree at Santa Anita meet in Arcadia, California.
Calvin Borel back on MINE THAT BIRD -
Roswell, NM – August 30, 2009 – Co-owners Mark Allen and Dr.
Leonard Blach announced today that Calvin Borel will once
again be aboard MINE THAT BIRD. Borel and Mine That Bird are
meeting in California shortly after Labor Day.
Mine That Bird will ship
after greeting his New Mexico fans when he leads the G1 All
American Futurity post parade at Ruidoso Downs. The dynamic
duo are scheduled to enter the $350,000 Goodwood Stakes (G1)
on October 10th at the Oak Tree at Santa Anita Park meeting.
The pair will continue on together in this year’s $5,000,000
Breeders' Cup Classic on Nov. 7th.
photo by SureBet
Mine That Bird, Summer Bird settle in at Saratoga
Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1) winner Mine That Bird got his
first look at the Saratoga Race Course main track on Tuesday morning,
galloping 1½ miles under regular exercise rider Charlie Figueroa.
SOUL WARRIOR UPSETS WEST
VIRGINIA DERBY; MINE THAT BIRD THIRD CHESTER, West Virginia (August 1, 2009) – Calling
it “the best pick-up mount I’ve ever had,” jockey Dale Beckner rode longshot
Soul Warrior to his first stakes victory in Saturday’s Grade 2, $750,000
West Virginia Derby at Mountaineer Park.
Soul Warrior races for
Ahmad Zayat’s Zayat Stables LLC and is trained by Steve Asmussen. The
Kentucky-bred colt by Lion Heart went 1 1/8 miles in 1:51.46, and his margin
of victory was a neck from odds-on favorite and pacesetter Big Drama.
Mine That Bird in West Virginia Derby Work
Mine That Bird breezed through a four-furlong workout at Mountaineer
Casino Racetrack & Resort on July 27. The track’s clockers recorded
a time of :49 4/5 as the Kentucky Derby winner continued his
preparations for Aug. 1, $750,000 West Virginia Derby (gr. II).
Mine That Bird Looks 'Sharp' in Workout Mine That Bird continued his progress toward the West Virginia Derby (gr. II) when he breezed four furlongs in :49 2/5 July 7 at
Churchill Downs. The time was co-sixth fastest of the day among 66 horses working the distance over a fast track.
Dr. Blach
Makes New York Housecall So, when the interviews are
done and night spreads over Churchill Downs and all that
remains to be done at Churchill Downs is cleaning tons of trash off
the ground, does one’s
life really change after winning the world’s most famous race?
Read More
Mine That Bird's Owners Check In Mine That Bird’s entourage grew a bit the morning of May 31 as Mark Allen and Dr. Leonard
Blach, the New Mexico-based co-owners of the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands
(gr. I) winner, made a quick stop in Louisville en route to New York for the June 6 Belmont
Stakes (gr. I).READ MORE
Mine That Bird huge favorite in Belmont Stakes early odds The books have put up early horse betting odds to win the 2009 Belmont Stakes so let’s take
a look at who is favored. READ MORE...
No decision on Rachel Alexandra status
Rachel Alexandra owner Jess Jackson said he was uncertain Monday morning of the
Preakness champion's status for next month's Belmont Stakes after the filly worked out at
Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. READ MORE
Belmont field taking shape as big decisions loom
By RICHARD ROSENBLATT
NEW YORK (AP) — Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird needs a jockey for the Belmont Stakes. Rachel Alexandra needs to show she's fit after winning the Preakness.
Derby and Preakness-winning rider Calvin Borel needs to figure out which horse he'll climb aboard in his personal quest for a Triple Crown.
While big decision day appears to be Monday — the day Rachel Alexandra works out at Churchill Downs and Borel was told to declare whether he'll ride Mine That Bird — the rest of the Belmont field is coming into shape. click here to read more...
Mine That Bird already back to work
Mine That Bird is the little horse that could. He just keeps chugging along, surprising everyone and making new fans every day with his remarkable resiliency. Even though he won the Kentucky Derby, took a long, 10-hour haul to Baltimore, ran second in the Preakness two weeks later, then took that same long haul in reverse on Monday, Mine That Bird was back on the track at Churchill Downs on Tuesday, jogging one mile as he took his first steps toward a start in the Belmont Stakes at Belmont Park on June 6.
"He's really bouncing and animated," his trainer, Chip Woolley, said by telephone Tuesday morning from Churchill Downs. "I'm real happy with him right now. He didn't lose too much weight in the race." read more...
Smith won’t ride Mine That Bird in Belmont
Decision means Borel could return if Rachel Alexandra opts out of race
Mike Smith, who
rode Mine That
Bird to a
second-place
finish in the
Preakness Stakes
on Saturday,
will not ride
him in the June
6 Belmont
Stakes, choosing
instead to ride
Madeo in the
Grade 1
Whittingham
Stakes at
Hollywood Park
that day.
READ MORE
Mine
That Bird shows
he's for real
BALTIMORE -- The connections of Mine That Bird wanted to prove that the gelding's victory in the Kentucky Derby was no fluke.
And even in defeat in Saturday's 134th Preakness Stakes, that's exactly what they did. Though his furious late run in the stretch fell one length short of the superstar filly Rachel Alexandra, Mine That Bird finished second, ahead of 11 other colts and geldings, and in many ways validated his Derby performance at 50-1 odds two weeks ago.
"It wasn't no fluke,'' co-owner Mark Allen said.
"They don't think [it's a fluke] now, do they?'' trainer Chip Woolley said.
Mike Smith, who picked up the mount on Mine That Bird after Calvin Borel took off to ride Rachel Alexandra, calle
Mine That Bird "the bravest little horse I think I've ever been on.''CLICK HERE TO READ MORE...
Heading Out:
Mine That Bird
On the Road
Again
Early on the
morning of May
18, trainer
Bennie “Chip”
Woolley had just
loaded
Mine That Bird
into a horse
trailer and was
preparing for
the 9 ½-10 hour
drive from
Baltimore, Md.,
to Louisville,
where the little
gelding had won
the May 2
Kentucky Derby
Presented by
Yum! Brands (gr.
I) before going
on to finish
second in the
May 16
BlackBerry
Preakness Stakes
(gr. I).
“We just loaded
him and we’re
pulling out of
the Pimlico
stable gate,”
said Woolley,
who drives the
Ford Lariat
pickup with the
Turnbow trailer
attached despite
having a broken
leg sustained in
a motorcycle
accident.
READ MORE...
Rivalry:
Rachel
Alexandra, Mine
That Bird prove
worthy
BALTIMORE — Mine
That Bird
couldn't quite
pull off another
miracle Saturday
in the Preakness
Stakes, but the
small, New
Mexico-bred
gelding proved
beyond a doubt
that his 50-1
upset in the
Kentucky Derby
was no fluke.
It didn't even
matter that the
horse lost its
rider, when
jockey Calvin
Borel switched
to Rachel
Alexandra after
the filly's
connections
decided to enter
the Preakness.
With Mike Smith
aboard, Mine
That Bird, as
planned, stayed
back again,
running dead
last at the
halfway mark.
Then, just like
in the Derby,
the horse made a
powerful charge
down the stretch
and nearly ran
down the leader
again. This race
was 1/16 of a
mile shorter
than the Derby,
however, and
that might have
been the
difference.
READ MORE...
Rachel Alexandra
Struts Her Stuff In Preakness Stakes
(official
Pimlico press release)
Rachel Alexandra wins
Preakness
Photo Credit: Jim McCue/MJC
BALTIMORE,
05-16-09 – A sprinkling of
late afternoon rain could not dampen
the sparkling performance of
Stonestreet Stables LLC & Harold
McCormick’s Rachel Alexandra, who
took it to the boys and won the
134th running of the Grade 1,
$1,100,000 Preakness Stakes Saturday
at Pimlico Race Course.
Before a crowd of
77,850 who contributed to the
$86,684,470 which was wagered on the
13-race program, the 3-year-old
daughter of Medaglia d’Oro broke
alertly from her far outside post
and promptly engaged speedy Big
Drama as the field raced toward the
clubhouse turn in the 1 3/16-mile
classic. She is the fifth filly to
win the middle jewel of the Triple
Crown, the first since Nellie Morse
in 1924.
Ridden by Calvin
Borel, the tall bay filly pushed her
head to the fore as the top pair
raced down the backstretch. She
never relinquished the lead, opening
up by four lengths at the furlong
pole before coming under a late
assault from Kentucky Derby winner
Mine That Bird and Derby third-place
finisher Musket Man.
Kentucky Derby
Winner Mine That
Bird Breezes
Trainer Chip
Woolley, who had
said
Mine That Bird
would not have a
workout prior to
the May 16
Preakness Stakes
(gr. I), called
an audible and
breezed the son
of Birdstone at
Churchill Downs
on the morning
of May 11. CLICK
HERE TO READ
MORE
Mine That Bird,
shown working at
Churchill Downs
prior to the
Derby,
breezed 4
furlongs over
the Lousiville
track on May 11.
Photo: Mathea
Kelley
KENTUCKY DERBY
WINNER MINE THAT BIRD WILL RUN Louisville,
KY – May 4, 2009 – The connections
of Mine That Bird unanimously agreed
today
that they will enter the
134th running of the Preakness®
Stakes on May 16. click
here to read more...
Mine
That Bird Wins Kentucky Derby With
Strong
New Mexico Connection
5/3
Mine That Bird goes
from oddball to chamP
They weren’t
supposed to be
here among the
big shots and
the sheik,
the Hall of
Famers and the
million dollar
sure-things. Not
the tiny horse
with the funky
feet
and unsightly
gait. Not the
cowboy trainer
with the black
hat, busted leg
and horseshoe
mustache to
match. CLICK
HERE TO READ
MORE
Derby Winner
Primes for
Preakness
Mine That Bird,
winner of the
Kentucky Derby
Presented by
Yum! Brands (gr.
I)
for Double
Eagle Ranch and
Buena Suerte
Equine,
back-tracked to
the paddock
tunnel and then
‘loped’ once
around a “fast”
Churchill Downs
main track
Tuesday under
exercise rider
Charlie Figueroa
before the
renovation
break. CLICK
HERE TO READ
MORE
Mine That Bird shocks Derby at
50-1
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Trainer Bennie
Woolley Jr. was running a horse in
the Kentucky Derby for
the first time, and he wasn't going
to let a little thing like a broken
leg keep him from making
the walk over from the barn area
before the race. He came over
alongside a 50-1 shot,
largely ignored by the raucous
crowd along the outside rail. But
minutes later Woolley
became, improbably, a Derby winner.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE...
Figueroa Enjoys
His Time with
Mine That Bird As
Mine That Bird,
winner of the
Kentucky Derby
Presented by
Yum! Brands (gr.
I), quietly
goes about his
business at
Pimlico in
preparation for
the May 16
Preakness Stakes
(gr. I), so
does the man
who has been at
his side since
the
Birdstone
gelding’s
unlikely Triple
Crown
quest began.
Click Here to
read more
Kentucky Oaks (gr. I) winner Rachel
Alexandra drew post 13 and was
installed as the solid 8-5
morning-line favorite for the
$1-million Preakness Stakes (gr. I)
May 16 at Pimlico.
Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum!
Brands (gr. I) runner-up Pioneerof
the Nile drew post 9 and
is the 5-1 second choice on the
morning line, while upset Derby
winner Mine That Bird (6-1) will break from post 2.
click here to read more
Mine That Bird
Flies
Into Baltimore Kentucky
Derby winner
Mine That Bird
arrived at
Pimlico ahead
of
schedule May 12
with a Baltimore
City Police
escort at 6:44
p.m. after
leaving
Churchill Downs
at 9:06.a.m.
CLICK HERE TO
READ MORE
MINE
THAT BIRD DRILLS FIVE FURLONGS AT OAK TREE; DERBY WINNER
PLANS TO RUN IN GR. I GOODWOOD OCT. 10; TRAINER PRAISES
SURFACE, EYES $5 MILLION B.C. CLASSIC
Mine
That Bird now in Albuquerque, NM
