The Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird is at Santa Anita Park preparing for his next start in Oak Tree’s $350,000 Goodwood Stakes (G1) at 1 1/8 miles on October 10.
Race horse trainer Bennie “Chip” Woolley said that Mine That Bird will have two workouts at Santa Anita prior to the Goodwood, but he was uncertain as to when the first work would take place.
“I haven’t really scheduled them yet,” said Woolley. “I’ll decide in the next couple of days. He will breeze on Monday or Tuesday, and then of course, (again) the following Monday or Tuesday, and then he runs.”
Mine That Bird’s ultimate goal at Santa Anita’s Oak Tree meeting is the $5-million Breeders’ Cup Classic on November 7.
Should Mine That Bird win the Goodwood Stakes, he would become only the third Kentucky Derby winner to also take the Goodwood, joining Kentucky Derby winners Ferdinand and Silver Charm, who both completed the double as 4-year-olds in 1987 and 1998, respectively.
Although he is winless in 3 starts since shocking the horse racing world at 50-1 on the May 2 Kentucky Derby Day, Mine That Bird ran a fast-finishing second behind super filly Rachel Alexandra in the Preakness Stakes May 16 and finished a respectable third in the Belmont Stakes June 6. In his most recent start, Mine That Bird finished third, beaten 1 3/4 lengths at odds of 4-5 in the West Virginia Derby on August 1.
Even though he was last in a field of 12 in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Oak Tree, Woolley has no reservations about returning to Santa Anita’s synthetic surface.
“He won four in a row on synthetic at Woodbine and he ran respectable in the Breeders’ Cup last year,” said Woolley. “He came up a little empty here in the Juvenile, but I’m kind of sure he’ll handle it okay. He kind of seems to carry his race track with him wherever he goes. We haven’t run into one he didn’t like yet.”
Jockey Calvin Borel, who skimmed the Churchill Downs rail when producing the Kentucky Derby shocker, will be back aboard Mine That Bird for the Goodwood Stakes. Borel took off the Kentucky Derby winner to stay with filly Rachel Alexandra in the Preakness but was back aboard the Woolley trainee Mine That Bird for his third place finish in the Belmont.
Hall of Fame Jockey Mike Smith rode Mine That Bird in the West Virginia Derby and in the Preakness.
Owned by Mark Allen and Dr. Leonard Blach, Mine That Bird’s record now stands at 12-5-2, with earnings of $2,196,581.
Possible Goodwood Stakes entries racing against Mine That Bird are Chocolate Candy, Colonel John, Parading, Tiago and Richard’s Kid.
Horse racing news edited from www.santaanita.com
© Horse Racing News: 2009 Breeders' Cup @ Santa Anita News, Daily Horse Racing Winners, Results & Payouts
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