Life at the horse track just got a lot more interesting, thanks to the biggest underdog story in nearly a century.
Mine That Bird is the 2009 Kentucky Derby champion and will go for the second jewel in thoroughbred racing's Triple Crown, Saturday's 134th running of the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico. But the unassuming bay gelding is only the third favorite at 11-2; the top honor goes to another headline-stealing horse, the filly Rachel Alexandra at 7-4 odds. Pioneerof the Nile is wedged in between at 4-1.
Playing third fiddle at the Preakness is hardly an insult. Mine That Bird was a 51-1 long shot to win the Kentucky Derby, second only to 1913 champion Donerail at 91-1. This is one of the smallest horses in the pack at 15.1 hands high, or 5-foot-1 in human terms. Four inches shorter and he'd be a pony. But not only did Mine That Bird beat the Derby odds - he also won the race by 6-3/4 lengths. The last horse to conquer Churchill Downs by such a wide margin was Triple Crown winner Assault (eight lengths) in 1946.
Mine That Bird is the first gelding to win the Derby since Funny Cide (at nearly 13-1 odds) in 2003 and just the second since Clyde van Dusen in 1929. Conveniently enough, Funny Cide went on to win the Preakness by 9-3/4 lengths. He and Mine That Bird both excelled despite coming from unconventional backgrounds - Funny Cide was the first New York-bred horse to take the Run for the Roses, while the 2009 winner got his start at Toronto's Woodbine Racetrack and won the Sovereign Award as the Canadian champion 2-year-old.
If a horse's job description is to run fast, then Mine That Bird has already passed muster by destroying the Derby field in sloppy conditions with a Beyer Speed Figure of 105. His time of 2:02.66 was just a half-second slower than Street Sense two years ago in more favorable weather. Speed will be an added consideration at Pimlico, which at 1-3/16 miles is a half-furlong shorter than Churchill Downs. There’s a 50-percent chance of more mud as thundershowers threaten to descend on Baltimore for the next few days.
Both Street Sense and Mine That Bird came from well behind to win, and both were ridden by Calvin Borel, known for his ability to squeeze a horse through traffic. But Borel also understands the betting odds. Rachel Alexandra is coming off a 20-length win at the Kentucky Oaks, and Borel is her regular ride. He's made the decision to go with the filly on Saturday; Mike Smith, who rode 50-1 long shot Giacomo to victory at the 2005 Kentucky Derby, is on board Mine That Bird for the Preakness.
Rachel Alexandra is a special horse in her own right. She won the Kentucky Oaks with a Beyer figure of 108, the fastest at the Oaks in over 20 years. Rachel has hit triple Beyer digits in each of her last four races, all victories, while Pioneerof The Nile topped out at 96 at the Santa Anita Derby. He finished second at Churchill Downs and figures to be the only other horse with a good chance to cross the finish line first on Saturday.
If you have an eye on betting value as a horseplayer, Mine That Bird is a strong choice as the third favorite coming off his win at the Derby. His rallying style is better suited for victory than the front-running filly, although her speed advantage makes her a deserving favorite and the easy choice for chalkeaters. In the Preakness props, you'll find both horses matched head-to-head with Rachel Alexandra favored at -250 to outperform Mine That Bird (+175). There are 11 other able-bodied horses in this field; taking them out of the equation reduces the payout by about two-thirds in this case. You'll find a whole host of props for these two marquee horses as we get closer to the Black-Eyed Susans. Post time is 6:15 p.m. Eastern on NBC.
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