After pulling off the Miracle in the Mud and single-handedly depriving me of the massive payout I would have gotten if Pioneerof The Nile had have won the Derby, Calvin Borel has announced his dramatic return to Mine That Bird for the Goodwood Stakes and the Breeders Cup Classic.
Trainer Chip Woolley declared “It’s a perfect situation for us… Hopefully, it’ll be the pairing we’re looking for.” Borel is currently training with Mine That Bird and took him for a 51.16 four-furlong workout this morning on the main track at Saratoga. Borel had opted out of Mine That Bird during the West Virginia Derby where he opted to ride Warrior’s Reward in the Jim Dandy Stakes, finishing second. Had Mine That Bird run in the Travers Stakes, Mike Smith would have been piloting.
Mine That Bird and Summer Bird bare some real similarities beyond just the lineage (both come from Birdstone) but Mine That Bird’s explosive pushes down the stretch are his defining feature. Summer Bird is an excellent stretch horse as well, although maybe a notch below Mine- who I find is a bit better in heavy traffic. However, I’m positive that Summer Bird is the better all-around horse who can dictate a race, as opposed to Mine That Bird who requires a specific set of circumstances to be successful.
Either way, it’s going to be an incredible few months in the build-up to the $5,000,000 Breeders Cup Classic. There will be so many big-name superstars running in that race, but I have a feeling it really could come down to these two plucky three year-olds.
