Where's Calvin?

On big race days like the Belmont Stakes, the races leading up to the headliner are almost always great. And no great race card is complete without all-star jockeys. However, there is one big name virtually missing from the riding roster on Saturday.

Calvin Borel, looking for racing immortality on Saturday in his quest for a Triple Crown, elected to ride in just one race outside Mine That Bird in the Belmont, the fifth race on the card, a turf race.

It's a questionable call for Borel not to ride in any dirt races before the Belmont. Since 2000, he has only ridden in four races at Belmont so he certainly is not familiar with the track. It certainly wouldn't take Borel long to understand the nuances of "Big Sandy" but why sit out any dirt races on Belmont Day.

We all know that racing can come down to split second decisions and we've seen how crucial those choices are in the Belmont. The most recent example was in 1998 when jockey Kent Desormeaux jumped the gun early with Real Quiet, moved a little prematurely and lost the Triple Crown by a gut wrenching nose to Victory Gallop in 1998.

Borel has made some really good ones over the past few years but to sit on the sidelines could be a disservice to the fans, trainer Chip Woolley and himself.

It's not to say that Borel had an opportunity to ride in every race on Saturday. And only he and his agent would know how many mounts were offered to them.

But for Borel to ride more often on Belmont day would have given the fans more to root for and given the new ambassador of racing some much needed exposure in the biggest media market in the country.

To Borel's credit, he's frequently made himself available to the media and is slated to make two high profile appearances in the next couple of days: the opening bell of the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday morning and David Letterman on Friday night.

The bottom line is this - if Borel continues his hot and masterful riding as of late, none of it will matter. (He has won 30 percent of his races since May 11.) He will be in the winner's circle on Mine That Bird celebrating a once-in-a-lifetime accomplishment.

Let's hope he stays white hot and won't pay the price for not getting familiar with a track that has turned so many Triple Crown dreams into nightmares.

Final Bird Move

Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird got in his final workout before Saturday's Belmont Stakes at Churchill Downs this morning.

The son of 2005 Belmont winner Birdstone worked a half-mile in :50 under jockey Calvin Borel. Even though that work wasn't all that fast, Borel could not be more confident.

"We're gonna win, no questions asked," he said

Trainer Chip Woolley was also thrilled with the workout.

"I think we are in good shape going into the Belmont," Woolley said. "The horse is doing good and probably training better than he did going into the Derby."

There certainly is reason for optimism in the "Bird Camp" and for Borel to win his own personal Triple Crown would be one of the best stories of the year.

But the Belmont has shattered lots of dreams in the past few years. (See Big Brown for the latest example.) And running in three of the biggest races of the year in five weeks is grueling.

Let's hope that Mine That Bird is resilient enough to grind out one more win to carry Borel into racing immortality and give a publicity shot in the arm that racing REALLY needs.

Also working today was Chocolate Candy. The fifth-place finisher in the Derby went a half-mile in :50.25. The son of Candy Ride has been training at Belmont Park for the past month.

Two of Mine That Bird's chief rivals worked Sunday at Belmont Park. Charitable Man went a half-mile in :49 and Dunkirk worked the same distance in :49.57.

Charitable Man is 3-for-4 lifetime and is a perfect 2-for-2 at Belmont Park. Dunkirk, trained by Todd Pletcher, hasn't run since his 11th place finish in the Derby.

Photo courtesy of Reed Palmer/Churchill Downs

Belmont News....What there is of it....

Jockey Calvin Borel continues to spend lots of time in the national spotlight this week as he has done a slew of television interviews from his home base in Louisville, including the Today Show this morning.

However the picture is still fuzzy about who he might ride in the Belmont Stakes. Borel's first choice is still super filly Rachel Alexandra but there has been no decision made yet about her next start.

Meanwhile, the connections for Derby winner Mine That Bird insist that they will make a decision in the "next couple of days." If they are true to their word, that may keep Borel off Mine That Bird.

Of course, there is still the possibility that the "Bird Crew" could follow the same scenario as they did before the Preakness; give Borel the chance to ride Mine That Bird while waiting out Rachel Alexandra's fate. At the same time, they would have a "backup rider" ready if Rachel does try the one-mile-and-a-half "Test of Champions."

Mine That Bird was back on the Churchill Downs oval training for the first time since the Preakness and Rachel will follow suit tomorrow morning.

The only other news was a definite decision for Belmont contender Charitable Man will come on Wednesday. Trainer Kiaran McLaughlin indicated that his colt is likely to run but would confer with the owners again to make their final choice.

The son of 1999 Belmont Stakes winner Lemon Drop Kid has won 3 of 4 starts including the Peter Pan Stakes two weeks at Belmont. His only loss came on the "artificial dirt" at Keeneland in April and is a perfect 2-for-2 at Belmont.

What Now For Mine That Bird?

Will they bring Calvin Borel back or won't they?

That's the question now left to Mine That Bird's owners and trainer after Mike Smith (left) announced he was vacating the Belmont mount on the Derby winner for a race in California.

After arriving back in Kentucky Monday night and setting up back in their familiar surroundings, trainer Chip Woolley said he's made no decision as to who will fill the void left by Smith.

The wild card, of course, is super filly Rachel Alexandra (right). Her trainer, Steve Asmussen, has been non-committal about their plans for the Belmont. That decision leaves Borel in the lurch until the Rachel crew makes up their mind.

“I don’t know,” Woolley said. “It’s kinda funny. You’d think if you get a horse this good, you’d keep one, but apparently not. So we’ll deal with that here in a couple of days and we’ll see what happens.”

There could be a huge list of great riders available and based on Woolley's comments, there are a lot of agents that have called him looking to pitch their clients to take the mount on Mine That Bird.

Racing would benefit greatly from having Borel back in the saddle on Mine That Bird but it's a tough call for the Bird Crew.

Let's see if Woolley (left) sticks by his word and makes a quick decision. The longer he waits, the more chances that we will get to see Borel back.

We can only hope that the Woolley and company will give enough time to Asmussen and Borel to make their decision because if Woolley is worried about the other riders being available - don't. There are still many jockeys who would love a shot at riding a Derby winner and Preakness runner-up.

Photos courtesy of Eclipse Sportswire

What Next for Rachel & Bird?

Fans of horse racing could not have asked for a lot more from the Preakness Stakes. Super filly Rachel Alexandra wins the Middle Jewel of Triple Crown and holds off a late charge from Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird.

Will this be a new budding rivalry?

What makes this potential new great rivalry it is not just two great horses. It is two stars of different genders which rarely cross paths.

There have been races where males and females have met but not often during the Triple Crown. The last time the rivarly lasted more than one race was in 1988 when Winning Colors, a filly, and Forty Niner went head-to-head twice. The two ran first and second in the Derby. But the rivarly spilled over in the Preakness when the two dueled each other into defeat as the filly finished third and Forty Niner was seventh.

Chances are Rachel Alexandra and Mine That Bird won't face each other much more in their careers, but the Belmont Stakes does remain a possibility for both. Mine That Bird's trainer, Chip Woolley, has already committed to run in the 1 1/2 miles "Test of Champions" but what of the filly?

Neither trainer Steve Asmussen nor majority owner Jess Jackson committed to the Belmont but how much fun would it be to see the Derby winner and Preakness winner slug it out in New York?

The temptation for the "Rachel crew" will be great. Jackson, who scored points among racing fans when he kept two-time Horse of the Year Curlin in training after his 3-year-old season. The chestnut colt ammased wins in the Preakness and the Breeders' Cup Classic and earned Horse of the Year honors; then came back and won the Dubai World Cup among others and notched his second Horse of the Year honor.

For those that might be worried about Rachel getting "burned up" early in the Belmont by some other speed horses, there aren't many left in the potential field who could push her early. Quality Road and Chartiable Man could be those obstacles but neither trainer has committed to the 1 1/2 mile race yet.

Racing, as always, needs some good news and attention. What happened today at the Preakness was a huge help but it will be very short lived if it's the last time we see the Derby and Preakness square off.

But Jackson has to do what is right by the horse and if she comes back feeling good, then he oughto to run Rachel in the Belmont. Rags to Riches proved a filly can win the "Test of Champions" and it would certainly cement Rachel's place as the one of the best horses of all-time with a Belmont victory.

Stay tuned over the next few days but we might just have a new rivaly we haven't seen in racing for some time.

Tuesday Preakness News

Here is a quick recap of what took place Tuesday on the "Road to Baltimore."

The horses are starting to make their way to Pimlico. Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird left Churchill at 9 a.m. and should arrive at Pimlico sometime before 8 p.m. While Trainer Chip Woolley loaded the horse into his trailer, Bob Baffert wandered over on his pony to take a look.

Also enroute are the D. Wayne Lukas trained duo of Flying Private and Luv Guv and Toyota Blue Grass winner General Quarters. According to Thoroughbred Times, General Quarters' van was involved in a minor accident near Pimlico while attempting to turn into the track. The gray colt was unhurt but looks like the trailer may need a little body work.

After blazing through a work at Pimlico (5/8 mile in :58.20) Tuesday morning, trainer Larry Jones announced Friesan Fire (pictured right) was a definite for the Preakness so he appears to be recovered from the minor injuries suffered during his 18th place finish in the Derby.

A plane from Louisville tomorrow will have an all-star feel to it. Among horses on the plane will be Kentucky Oaks winner Rachel Alexandra, Derby runner-up Pioneerofthe Nile, as well Preakness hopeful Terrain.

On Wednesday is the post position draw for the Preakness. Stay tuned for the latest drama in the Preakness soap area.

(Photos courtesy of Churchill Downs and Maryland Jockey Club.)

Eating my "Derby Hat"

It dawned on me tonight that I wrote a couple of weeks ago about the two "Bird" horses that started in the Kentucky Derby - Mine That Bird and Summer Bird. The title of the piece was "Send in the Clowns or Birds" which was my way of saying that neither horse could win the Kentucky Derby.

Now, of course, I was one of many, many people who echoed that sentiment but I wanted to acknowledge that I could not have been more wrong about Mine That Bird. I tip my hat (and eating my Derby handicapping hat at the same time) to trainer Chip Woolley and jockey Calvin Borel for an outstanding job. They deserve all the credit.

Looking ahead to the Preakness, Mine That Bird will again be questioned by many (including yours truly) to see if he can repeat his Derby performance.

There appears to be a host of challengers either seeking a rematch or waiting for their first chance.

I will not make any prediction yet as to who will win the Preakness but you can be sure it will be as wide open a race as the Derby.

But, there will be a small part of me rooting for Mine That Bird and all of his connections. They would make a very interesting and somewhat compelling story if there was a Triple Crown on the line.

And you just have to know that Borel would love another shot at winning the Preakness after his narrow and crushing loss to Curlin just two years ago while riding Street Sense in 2007.

I will give everyone a look at the Preakness contenders in my next entry and let me know who you think will win because I was very wrong on Saturday.

Photo courtesy of Eclipse Sportswire