Sunday, May 3, 2009

My old Kentucky (Derby) post or What were the odds of that happening?

Actually 50 - 1. Those were the odds on horse No. 8, Mine That Bird, in yesterday's 135th running of the Kentucky Derby. The horse, ridden by jockey Calvin "Bo-Rail" Borel, came from behind, along the inner rail, to win the Derby by 6 3/4 lengths, the second biggest upset in Derby history.

In case you missed it (which, at just over 2 minutes, was easy to do), here's a clip of the amazing race:

Btw, had you placed a $2 bet on the three-year-old colt, whose name is being to changed to Mine That Gold, you would have won $103.20. And had you placed $2 on the 2009 Kentucky Derby Trifecta of 8-16-2, you would have been paid $41,500.60. That same $2 on the Superfecta of 8-16-2-7? A whopping $557,006.40.

Hmmm... Maybe I should horse around more often.

UPDATED: If you like horse racing, or just horses, or just a really great inspirational story, read Seabiscuit: An American Legend. Forget the movie. Just read the book. One of the best I've ever read, and that's saying a lot, especially as I am not a horsewoman (though I've been known to get a little hoarse from screaming at sporting events).

7 comments:

Moishie the horseman said...

We all loved watching the race. For those who care: The guy who called the race missed EVERYTHING. Listen to the call again...there is almost NO mention of Mine That Bird until it's clear to everyone that he is going to win; the announcer misses the dash along the rail and STILL calls other horses until MTB is only a couple of lengths from victory. One of the worst Derby calls ever. If nothing else, we missed "and down the stretch they come" more than ever.

Anonymous said...

Did you hear the crickets as the ABC announcers (ALL OF THEM) scrambled to find something to say??? "Where are my Mine that Bird notes??????" Thank goodness the trainer was on crutches-so they had something to talk about!

marindenver said...

Thanks for posting that video! We had the best time watching that yesterday and just as much fun to see it again. As Moishie said, the announcer just totally missed it - probably frantically trying to figure out who the heck that horse was. But the whole thing is such a great story - the vet and the rancher who own the horse, the rodeo rider turned trainer who trained him, then drove across country towing the trailer with a broken leg to boot! Can't wait until the movie comes out! And, yes, Seabiscuit was a great book and a great horse. So-so movie as you said.

J. said...

We were so caught up in the actual race (as opposed to the announcing) we didn't notice the commentary, though I distinctly remember thwacking the spouse and saying "which horse is that?! which horse is that?!" And yes, Bennie Woolley, Jr., the trainer, is another one of the great characters.

Btw, I hear there's an opening over at NBC for a new horse racing announcer. ; )

marindenver said...

This is O/T but I know there are a few people here who follow American Idol. Just read that David Cook's brother, Adam Cook, lost his battle with brain cancer today. So very sad - he was only in his 30's and left a wife and two young children behind.

David said...

The race was amazing with that finish. I was amazed considering how wet the track was.

btw - can he be considered a colt since he is a gelding? I don't know, I'm not a horsey-set kinda guy but I know he will never be a stallion.

J. said...

True, Mine That Bird will never mine any birds, so to speak, David, but I believe it is okay to refer to him as a colt, even though he is a gelding. (I did a Google search on "colt gelding" but I didn't have the stomach/fortitude to read beyond the brief descriptions on Google.)

And yes, very sad, marindenver. I'm sure it will be mentioned on Tuesday's American Idol, the theme of which is Rock.