The Morning After: Basking in the Derby Glow
By Ron Mitchell  - May 3, 2009

On a cool, wet May 3 morning in the barn area of Churchill Downs, the
owners and trainer of Mine That Bird were basking in the limelight
while still trying to absorb what had transpired the previous day when
the 3-year-old gelding posted a stunning 6 3/4-length victory over
Pioneerof the Nile in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr.
I).

Meanwhile, the connections of the horses that finished behind Mine
That Bird were also still trying to absorb what happened, with few, if
any, making firm plans for the May 16 Preakness (gr. I) at Baltimore.

While trainer Bennie “Chip” Woolley Jr., owners Mark Allen and Dr.
Leonard Blach, and jockey Calvin Borel were interviewed live on NBC’s
“Today Show”, the stable star, who won the Derby at 50-1 odds, grazed
peacefully outside Barn 42 as racing fans and media filmed video and
took photographs.

“It’s hard to believe we come in here and actually won this thing,”
said Woolley, wearing his trademarked black cowboy hat and leaning on
the crutches that support his weight as a result of a broken leg
sustained in a motorcycle accident. “It’s an exciting time. Right now
it’s a little overwhelming… I had dreamed of coming to the Kentucky
Derby, for sure. If you don’t, I don’t know what motivation you would
have to be in the business. It’s the biggest stage. It may not be the
biggest purse, but it’s the biggest stage. That’s the driving force in
keeping you coming out here every morning, going through all the
headaches and hassles that go along with training horses.”

Woolley, 45, said Mine That Bird came out of the 1 1/4–mile Derby
without any problems, but was unwilling to commit to the Preakness
which, at 1 3/16 miles, is the shortest of the three classics. The
June 6 Belmont Stakes (gr. I) is at 1 1/2 miles. “The horse came out
of it super,” said Woolley. “It (the Preakness) wasn’t something that
was on our radar, but we will decide today or tomorrow. We were
looking to run the horse a little farther anyway. We will just have to
see… The Preakness tends to be a little more speed-biased and I don’t
know if that is going to fit our horse. There is no obligation (to run
in the Preakness). What’s best for the horse has to come first.”

Noting that he did not get much sleep Derby night, Woolley said he has
received many calls from old friends, quipping that “none who owed me
money called.”

Woolley acknowledged that while the little gelding’s best running
style is to be far back early and then make one winning move, he was
concerned after Mine That Bird was shuffled back to last at the start
of the Derby. “I wasn’t too high on my chances when they passed the
grandstand first time and my horse was dead last. But my horse
responded… the move he (Borel) made to the inside in the stretch was
fantastic. Not many riders would have done that. They would have went
around (other horses) instead of going to the inside. I thought he
might go off at 100-1. But the horse leaves it on the track every
time.”

Woolley reiterated that Mine That Bird, the champion 2-year-old in
Canada last year, was purchased privately for $400,000 (with Taylor
Made Sales Agent assisting in the transaction) primarily to race in
his home base of New Mexico. Mine That Bird has now won five of nine
starts and earned $1,791,581. Previous to his Derby win, the gelding
had finished second in the Borderland Derby and fourth in the Sunland
Derby, both at New Mexico’s Sunland Park.

If co-owner Allen’s comments are any indication, the Preakness is very
likely in the plans. “I hate to leave Kentucky, but you bet (would
like to run in the Preakness.) If he comes out of this race good, we
will (run)… we will let the horse tell us what to do.”

Allen, who said he did not sleep at all Saturday night, said he would
have been satisfied with “respectable” performance by Mine That Bird
in the Derby and did not expect a victory. “We were coming down here
mainly because we were invited and we wanted to experience the
Kentucky Derby. We thought we would be sixth or better or maybe hit
the board.”

Among other connections of Derby starters, trainer Gary Stute was the
only definitely committing to the Preakness with Papa Clem, who
finished fourth.

Trainer Bob Baffert, who said he thought runner-up Pioneerof the Nile
was going to win when the field reached the quarter pole, was taking a
wait-and-see approach on the Preakness, and would make a decision in
several days while the colt remains at Churchill Downs.

Trainer Derek Ryan was also going to wait to see how third-place
finisher Musket Man came out of the Derby before deciding on the
Preakness. “The horse is fine. You want to win it, but at least we got
a little piece of it,” he said.

Meanwhile, Cindy Jones, assistant her trainer-husband Larry Jones,
said Friesan Fire, who finished 18th as the Derby favorite, came out
of the race with cuts and abrasions on at least three of his four feet
and legs. He grabbed a quarter in the left front, had a cut on the
tendon in the right front, and a cut on his right rear back foot. He
also had some leg webbing, apparently from another horse, embedded in
one of his hooves.

While she did not know what Jones or the owners would decide about the
Preakness, Cindy Jones said all of the cuts were superficial and would
heal quickly.

Here are some other comments from Derby participants, courtesy of
Churchill Downs publicity department (finish of the horse is in
parentheses):

CHOCOLATE CANDY (5th) – Trainer Jerry Hollendorfer was on a plane
Sunday morning jetting back to California, but his right-hand man –
Galen May – was keeping a watchful eye on his Kentucky Derby runner
Chocolate Candy, who had finished fifth in the mile and a quarter run
on a “sloppy” track Saturday. “He was trying to bite me this morning,
so you know he’s fine,” May said.

May said the horse had come back without any nicks or cuts and had no
problem cleaning his feed tub Saturday night. He also noted that he
was likely to head back to California shortly and train up to the
Belmont Stakes on June 6. “His breeding and style say he should like
that mile and a half,” May said.

SUMMER BIRD (6th) – K.K. and Vilasini Jayaraman’s Summer Bird was
scheduled to ship Monday morning at 5 a.m. to Louisiana Downs,
according to trainer Tim Ice. “We have never thought about the
Preakness; maybe the Belmont,” Ice said. “I have no interest at all in
the Preakness because that track doesn’t suit his style of running.”

JOIN IN THE DANCE (7th), DUNKIRK (11th), ADVICE (13th) – Trainer Todd
Pletcher reported some minor wounds, but no major damage, to Dunkirk,
while stating at the same time that his other two competitors – Advice
and Join in the Dance – had come out of the eventful renewal none the
worse for wear.

“Dunkirk took the worst of it,” the five-time Eclipse Award winner
said. “He’s got his share of nicks and cuts and he also grabbed a
quarter on his left hind (leg). I think someone had to do it to him
during the running. Where it is, it isn’t likely he did it to himself.

Pletcher said Dunkirk and his stablemate Take the Points would ship to
his barn in New York at Belmont Park. Dunkirk’s next start was up in
the air at the moment, but Take the Points, who was eligible to run in
the Kentucky Derby but took a pass, would be prepared for a go in the
May 16 Preakness Stakes at Pimlico.

REGAL RANSOM (8th), DESERT PARTY (14th) – Both of the Godolphin colts,
Desert Party and Regal Ransom, were fine Sunday morning, said Henry
Spiller, an assistant to trainer Rick Mettee. The colts are scheduled
to be shipped back to Belmont Park on Tuesday. They are not being
pointed toward the Preakness.

WEST SIDE BERNIE (9th), ATOMIC RAIN (16th) – George and Lori Hall’s
West Side Bernie and Atomic Rain were scheduled to return to Monmouth
Park on Sunday after their Kentucky Derby efforts. “They came out of
the race fine,” Breen said. “We are going to regroup and see what
happens, but we are not looking at anything in two weeks.”

GENERAL QUARTERS (10th) – Owner/trainer Tom McCarthy said that General
Quarters came out of Derby 135 in good order, but with no plans to
continue on to the Preakness. “The only excuse I can find for him was
that he was not getting over the ground good,” McCarthy said. “I think
we will go ahead and regroup and see what direction to go in. The
Northern Dancer (on June 13 at Churchill Downs) is a possibility.”

HOLD ME BACK (12th) -- Elliott Walden, vice president and racing
manger for WinStar Farm, said Sunday that Hold Me Back was fine and
would be given a break. Walden wasn’t sure whether the colt would stay
with trainer Bill Mott or be sent to the farm during his hiatus.
“He’s good,” Walden said. “He scoped good and looks like he came out
of it OK. We’re going to regroup and go from there. He’s had a pretty
solid six weeks.”

MR. HOT STUFF (15th) – Things were quiet Sunday morning at Barn 41
where the 15th-place Derby finisher Mr. Hot Stuff had spent an
uneventful Saturday night following his little-impact journey in the
135th Run for the Roses. “He was OK after the race; no cuts or
bruises. He ate all his food last night,” said groom Martin Rodriguez,
who added the dark Tiznow colt would be headed back to his Southern
California base “in the next day or two.”

NOWHERE TO HIDE (17th) – The Nick Zito-trained Nowhere To Hide wasn’t
feeling any negative effects on the morning after his 17th-place
Kentucky Derby finish. “He came back perfect,’’ assistant trainer
Stacy Prior said. “The jockey said after the race that he was just
spinning his wheels out there.”

FLYING PRIVATE (19th) – The D. Wayne Lukas-trained Flying Private was
reported to have come out of his last-place finish in the Kentucky
Derby in good order Sunday morning. “The horse came back fine,”
assistant trainer Gary Neece said. “He’s no worse for the wear.”

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