Mine That Bird works faster than expected

Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird worked five furlongs in 58.20 seconds at Santa Anita on Monday, which equaled the fastest of 58 recorded works at the distance.

The workout was faster than trainer Chip Woolley intended, but Mine That Bird had an excuse - a fellow Breeders' Cup runner was on the horizon. The filly Lethal Heat, a candidate for the BC Ladies' Classic, broke off about 10 lengths in front of Mine That Bird and gave the 3-year-old a distant focus.

"We wanted him to step it up a little bit today," Woolley said. "It was maybe a little faster than I was looking for."

Lethal Heat, trained by Barry Abrams, worked five furlongs in 58.40 seconds.

Woolley, who was hoping for a workout time closer to one minute, emphasized that he was pleased with Mine That Bird's finish.

"The only part of his workout that is really important is the final quarter-mile," Woolley said. "He finished big today and galloped out big past the wire."

Earlier in the morning, Regal Ransom, Godolphin's hope for the BC Classic, breezed five furlongs in 58.40 seconds. The winner of the Super Derby at Louisiana Downs on Sept. 19, Regal Ransom was ridden in the workout by jockey Richard Migliore.

"I couldn't get him to go any slower," Migliore said. "He broke me in half."

- additional reporting by Brad Free