Mine that Bird |
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Prep Recap
| Date | Trk | Race | Chart | Distance | Time | BSF | Video |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2/28/09 | SUN | Borderland Derby | Chart | 1 1/16 m | 1:43 | 81 |  |
| 3/29/09 | SUN | San Rafael (G3) | Chart | 1 1/8 m | 1:50 | 80 | |
| 5/2/09 | CD | Kenucky Derby(G1) | Chart | 1 1/4 m | 2:02 | 105 | |
Profile by Mary Rampellini
Strengths: Mine That Bird has courage. He showed no hesitation when closing up the rail to put away 18 rivals, one by one, in the Kentucky Derby. He was dominant, and his determination is nothing new. Mine That Bird has won 5 of 9 starts, stringing four wins together last year when voted champion 2-year-old in Canada. He also is appealing as a horse who has won from six furlongs to 1 1/4 miles, and there will be a smaller field to negotiate Saturday.
Weaknesses: Rachel Alexandra. Not that he might succumb to her charms, but she will get his jockey, Calvin Borel, whose gutsy ride helped put Mine That Bird in a position to win the roses. In other concerns, Mine That Bird has never won on a fast dirt track, and he could regress after stepping up 25 Beyer points in the Derby.
Strategy: Mine That Bird overcame a 15-length deficit to win the Derby going away, and suspect he will again make that one-run bid into a pace that could be accommodating thanks to a serious new speed horse in Big Drama. However, such a late-running style might not be best suited to Pimlico.
Value: Mine That Bird will be much shorter than 50-1 this time around, but for a Derby winner his price should be generous, driven up by new challengers Rachel Alexandra, the probable favorite, and Big Drama, who comes off a flashy Beyer of 108. Others will pass him off as a one-hit wonder, but the "Bird" might have another song to sing.
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Owners: Double Eagle Ranch & Bueno Suerte Equine |
Pedigree Analysis by Dan Illman
Dosage Profile: 8-3-5-0-0
Dosage Index: 5.40
Center of Distribution: 1.19
Auction: $9,500 yearling, private purchase
Sire: The diminutive Birdstone spoiled the Smarty Triple Crown Party by upending heavily-favored Smarty Jones in the 2004 Belmont Stakes. That race was no fluke. Birdstone had won the Grade 1 Champagne Stakes at a one-turn 1 1/16 miles as a juvenile, and would go on to score in the Midsummer Derby, the Travers Stakes, at 1 1/4 miles.
Birdstone is a half-sister to Kentucky Oaks winner Bird Town, and has two foals from his first crop in this year's Derby field.
Dam: Mining My Own was unraced, but her half-brother, Golden Sunray, won the Poinciana Breeders' Cup Handicap at seven furlongs by 13 lengths with a 107 Beyer Speed Figure.
Mine That Bird's second dam, Aspenelle, finished second in the Canadian Oaks at nine furlongs over sloppy going.
Aspanelle's dam, Little to Do, was a multiple stakes-winner in Canada.
Outlook: Despite a high Dosage Index, upset Kentucky Derby champion Mine That Bird is by a Belmont winner (Birdstone) sired by a Derby winner (Grindstone) that was sired by another Derby winner (Unbridled). He glided over the glib racetrack at Churchill Downs, and while it's questionable if he'll duplicate that performance over dry conditions, there is no doubt that he'll get this distance.