2009 Kentucky Derby Results

2009 Kentucky Derby Results:

A completely overlooked long shot named Mine That Bird gave us perhaps the most shocking upset in Kentucky Derby history. Coming off a 4th place finish in the ungraded Sunland Derby in which he received a meager 80 Beyer Speed Figure, he managed to shock an assortment of highly regarded horses including favorites Friesan Fire, Dunkirk, and Pioneerof The Nile, drawing off by almost 7 lengths over the sloppy Churchill Downs surface.

The connections arrived at Churchill Downs without the hype and fanfare of some of the more highly regarded horses such as Friesan Fire and Pioneerof The Nile. In fact, Calvin Borel and Mine That Bird drove up in a trailer pulled by a pick up truck driven by his trainer Bennie Woolley, who traveled over 1700 miles and 21 hours from New Mexico to get to Churchill Downs.

As the field turned onto the backstretch, Mine That Bird was last of 19, and in fact dropped out of range of the NBC camera. Join the Dance was tracked by Regal Ransom down the backstretch, and Pioneerofthe Nile began to make a menacing move nearing the quarter pole.

As they began to approach the quarter pole, jockey Calvin Borel began moving up very quickly past horses down at the rail with impressive acceleration that was remarkably similar to the way in which he guided Street Sense to victory in the 2007 Kentucky Derby. The rail was playing faster than the rest of the track earlier in the day and horses who were near the rail were benefiting – Borel took advantage of this speed bias and rode the rail the whole way around to the finish line.

Nearing the quarter pole, jockey Calvin Borel began closing in on the leaders with Mine That Bird up the rail, and by the three-sixteenths pole, he was almost on even terms with Pioneerof the Nile who had struck the front. From that point it was all over, now it was just a matter of how far.

Mine That Bird began to put distance on the field with each and every stride, as Pioneerof the Nile, Musket Man, and Papa Clem battled it out in a three horse photo finish for second place.

Even the NBC racecaller Tom Durkin appeared a bit taken off guard as he had to pause briefly in mid-stretch and check his racing program to be sure that Mine That Bird was really the horse on his way to winning the roses.

The last time a longshot of this magnitude won was Giacomo in 2005 at odds of 50-1, but Giacomo’s Speed ratings were at least 7 or 8 lengths better than Mine That Bird, so that it was truly more of a shocking upset than even the improbable outcome of the 2005 Kentucky Derby.

Calvin Borel who was visibly moved said sobbing “I knew I had it won by the 3/8ths pole. I just wish my parents were here to see what I accomplished in my life”

Borel capped a dream weekend by capturing the Kentucky Oaks – Kentucky Derby double.

Pioneerof The Nile got the nod for second. The final time was 202 3/5 seconds over the sloppy track.