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Mine That Bird Unconfirmed for Preakness - 05-04-09
May 4 - Despite winning last Saturday's 135th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky in fine style and causing one of the biggest upsets in decades as a 50-1 long shot, lightning-fast gelding Mine That Bird may not feature in the upcoming Preakness Stakes, according to his connections.
Said Mine That Bird's co-owner Mark Allen, 'We haven't really planned to send him to the Preakness Stakes. However, we'll let him tell us and if he's doing good, we'll run.' With the first leg of the coveted US Triple Crown (the Derby) under his belt, it would be a shame for the gelding to miss a shot at the second leg.
The $1 million Preakness Stakes (Gr 1) is scheduled for Saturday May 16 at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. This time last year after his victory in the Derby, three-year-old Big Brown was being pointed at the Preakness, a race he won. However, he lost in the Belmont Stakes, dashing his Triple Crown hopes.
There is little doubt that if Mine That Bird delivered a performance in the Preakness Stakes like he did in front of tens of thousands of racegoers in Kentucky last weekend, that he'd have an excellent chance of winning that race. The same could be said for the Belmont Stakes in NY in June, the last leg of the Triple Crown.
Continued Allen, 'The plan was that if he showed something here (Kentucky), we'd skip the Preakness and go to the Belmont, like his dad (Birdstone, who won the Belmont Stakes in 2004). So if we decide to skip the Preakness Stakes, we'll definitely point him at the Belmont Stakes at Elmont Park later this year.'
While the connections of Mine That Bird have some big decisions to make about the future of their impressive gelding, the connections of the 18 Kentucky Derby runners who did not win the coveted race will have some soul-searching to do. Take the soon-to-be-retired Larry Jones, who had high hopes for Friesan Fire.
After having a lousy year in 2008 with the highly-publicized and controversial death of his champion filly Eight Belles at the Preakness Stakes, Jones is eager to leave training behind, and was hoping to go out with a bang with race favorite Friesan Fire. Unfortunately, however, the colt fizzled in the Derby, finishing second last.
Other Articles:
Rachel Alexandra Could Run in Preakness Stakes - 05-08-09I Want Revenge Likely Out Until 2010 - 05-07-09Ambiance Stud Farm to Close after 16 Years - 05-06-09Empires Choice Aimed at 2009 Melbourne Cup - 05-05-09Mine That Bird Causes Upset in Kentucky Derby - 05-03-09Top Horses and Horsemen in Kentucky Derby Today - 05-02-09Posts Selected for 2009 Kentucky Derby Twenty - 05-01-09Takeover Target vs Huxssen in Goodwood - 05-01-09
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| | 2009/11/20 11:35:14 AM |
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