Mine That Bird wins Kentucky Derby

Monday, May 4, 2009 at 6:04 AM Posted by Beijing News


Mine That Bird exploded in the stretch to win the 135th Kentucky Derby in a massive upset Saturday at Churchill Downs.

Calvin Borel piloted the 50-1 longshot to victory on the sloppy track, finding room along the rail and pulling away to win by 6 3/4 lengths in one of the biggest upsets in the history of the race.

Mine That Bird was saddled by trainer Chip Wooley, who drove more than 20 hours hauling the colt from New Mexico to Louisville to take on the cream of American racing.

The victory was the second in three years for Borel in the 1/1/4-mile race. He won on Street Sense in 2007 with a similar stretch run.

Pioneerof the Nile finished second and Musket Man third in the first jewel of US flat racing's Triple Crown. The series continues with the Preakness Stakes in Baltimore on May 16 and the Belmont Stakes in New York on June 6.

Friesan Fire, who inherited the favorite's mantle when I Want Revenge was scratched on Saturday morning with inflammation in an ankle, finished a distant 18th.





South Korean dancers perform a traditional dance during a memorial service in Seoul. AFP/Kim Jae-Hwan

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