Mine That Bird at Ruidoso Downs for his Hall of Fame induction

Mine That Bird, winner of the 2009 Kentucky Derby, will make an appearance Saturday at Ruidoso Downs, according to a press release from the New Mexico track. He is being feted in conjunction with his Friday night induction into the Ruidoso Downs Racehorse Hall of Fame.

Others entering the Ruidoso Hall on Friday are Harriett Peckham, who alone or in partnership owned Easy Jet, Go Man Go, and Rocket Bar; Leo Wood, who trained All American Futurity winner Pie In The Sky; and Johnny Cox, who was aboard Mr Kid Charge for his win in the All American Futurity.

Mine That Bird on Saturday will be stabled on the east end of the grandstand and will be available to visit with patrons from 1 to 2:30 p.m. Mountain. He also will be paraded before the public on the track, following the fifth race Saturday.

The movie “50-1,” which is about Mine That Bird, will be shown Saturday night in the All American Turf Club at Ruidoso. The screening will feature discussion with his connections, which include New Mexico-based owners Dr. Leonard Blach and Mark Allen. The event is free and open to the public, according to Ty Wyant, a publicist with Ruidoso.

Inductions at Louisiana Downs

The first class of the new Louisiana Downs Hall of Fame will be inducted Saturday. The ceremony, which is open to the public, will be held following the seventh race, in the track’s main lobby. The card Saturday features races named for some of the inductees – John Franks, Sunday Silence, Free Spirits Joy, Frank Brothers, C.W. “Cracker” Walker, Ron Ardoin, Larry Snyder, and Edward J. DeBartolo.

There also will be individuals inducted based on results of an online poll that ran from June 15-29. They will be revealed during the ceremony, according to Martha Claussen, a turf publicist for Louisiana Downs.