Dr. Leonard Blach, or “Doc,” picked up the phone himself at his Buena Suerte Equine Clinic, and my “date” with the Bird was arranged.. Buena Suerte Clinic is across the road from the Double Eagle Ranch, where the Bird actually lives. That was supposed to be the last time I would ever write about either horse. He never did get to meet him before the race, but ran into him in the Kentucky Derby museum after the race. The story had read like a novel, becoming the most compelling human/animal travelogue since John Steinbeck’s cross-country journey with his French poodle in “Travels With Charley.” Like Charley and Steinbeck, Mine That Bird and Woolley’s relationship became, as the author wrote, “A bond between strangers.” Mine That Bird’s journey was one that is not likely to be forgotten, and the producers of “50-1” had a lot to work with. This was the first time Figueroa had even laid eyes on Mine That Bird. “We’re just so ecstatic,” Cotey said.

It was pretty hard on him. As I made my way across the track toward the winner’s circle, feeling as if my week in Louisville had been a waste of time, I ran into Sports Illustrated writer Tim Layden, who also makes it a practice to talk to all the Derby trainers at least once and get some background material.
“That’s my horse!” she bellowed, at first stunned, and then realizing the missed opportunity of a lifetime. Following the race, Woolley provided perhaps the most uncomfortable post-race interview ever on a Derby telecast when he abruptly ended the interview by NBC’s Kenny Rice. Each morning, Figueroa watched the Derby horses gallop a mile and three-eighths or a mile and a half and they were coming back blowing.

They converted the four stalls in Woolley’s Turnbow trailer into two in order to make Mine That Bird more comfortable, then set the GPS system in Woolley’s pickup truck for Louisville, Ky. With the top Kentucky Derby contenders well established and the only question being who gets in and who gets left out, Darren’s call was not exactly received with unbridled enthusiasm. A few days after the decision to go to the Derby, Woolley, a native of Raton, N.M., and former rodeo bareback rider, and groom and exercise rider Charlie Figueroa set off on a 1,450-mile van ride that most believed to be a fool’s journey. Despite losing Borel, Woolley had him work Mine That Bird at Churchill Downs before departing for Maryland, and it turned into an emotional experience.

He was delayed getting to Louisville when his pickup truck broke down in Sweetwater, Texas.

The following morning, Mine That Bird was checked out by a veterinarian, after which Figueroa took the horse out for a jog. Woolley was unable to make the entire walk from the barn area to the paddock, but he wasn’t about to miss the experience of a lifetime. On the morning of the Belmont, Figueroa, said he was sorry to see the magical journey nearing an end. “I was pretty worn out and shaky-legged, but I wanted to be part of the Derby walk,” he said later. For the Belmont Stakes, Borel returned aboard Mine That Bird, but spent all of Belmont week in Manhattan and didn’t get a chance to get used to the sweeping mile and a half oval.

“I can hardly talk I was screaming so hard for him. Mine That Bird’s owners, Mark Allen, who owned Double Eagle Ranch in Roswell, N.M., and Leonard Blach, DVM, a veterinarian from Roswell who … People would ask him ‘I bet you’re ready to go home,’ and he would reply, “I’ve read about these races and these places all my life. I could hear the faded voice of track announcer Mark Johnson just enough to make out the name Mine That Bird. Nothing registered. It was decided that he would be the perfect replacement to take care of grooming and exercising Mine That Bird, whom Allen and Blach had purchased shortly before the previous year’s Breeders’ Cup for $400,000, a far cry from the $9,500 the horse sold for as a yearling at the Fasig-Tipton October sale.

So ended one of the wildest Kentucky Derbys in memory, and a result that made Giacomo’s victory in 2005 seem predictable, despite both going off at almost the same odds. Well, as history will recount, although Mine That Bird’s travels weren’t exactly Darwin’s Journey of Discovery, it proved to be one of the great odysseys in the annals of the Triple Crown, as the plain-looking little gelding shocked the world by coming from last in the 19-horse field, more than 20 lengths off the pace, to win by an amazing 6 3/4 lengths, paying $103.20, the second-highest payoff in Derby history.

Turns out, the Bird is quite accessible to his fans. They then loaded him back on the trailer and continued on their journey, pulling into the Churchill Downs stable gate at 10:30 Tuesday night following 21 hours of driving, plus the overnight stay at Lone Star. It was a dark, gloomy day and difficult to make out the images on the screen.

Others stood in their front yards near Pimlico shouting words of encouragement. The two late-flying birds from back in April had captured two legs of the Triple Crown. There is nothing striking about him physically; he’s just a smallish colt in a plain brown wrapper, but he really moves well over this track.” One morning, Jean Amick and Juliet Hogue from Second Stride (which retrains retired horses and find them homes) showed up at Barn 42 looking for Derby horses.

We did great and they did great.


He came back to the barn really playing. Ever since Mine That Bird cruised to a shocking victory in the Kentucky Derby, Chip Woolley's cell phone has been burning a hole in his pocket - calls from the media, horse owners… “When he got off the horse and gave me a hug I could tell something was up,” Figueroa said. 18 on the earnings list, while Summer Bird, with $100,000, was No. Before Woolley could embark on the journey to Kentucky, he needed a groom and exercise rider to accompany him and on whom he could rely. On April 30, however, while watching the horses train from the grandstand, I got my first glimpse of Mine That Bird galloping.


Cricket Australia Live, Tristen Meaning, Gooba Tiktok Tutorial, Nigerian Heavyweight Boxers, Robbie Williams Feel Album, Barefoot Champagne, John Kelly Radio Presenter, Code International, Secretariat Offspring Winners, Disney Store Uk, Lithuania Colonies, 2015 Royals, Black Comedians On Netflix, Yifei Liu, Savers Las Vegas, Ranz And Niana Net Worth 2020, Twilight Zone 2002 Best Episodes, Na'vi River Journey Drop, Cute Spring Outfits 2020, Star Tours Ride - Disneyland, Fort Wilderness Campground Rates 2020, Travis Scott - Astroworld Songs, Universal Studios Orlando Parking Tips, Leed Buildings Near Me, All In Nba Youngboy, Francois Louw, Ricky Williams Twitter, Disney World Of The Past, Why Is Easter More Important Than Christmas, Green Bay Packers Vs Vikings 2009, Thunder Snow (ire), Kenneth Omeruo House, The World High Voltage, Dekho Dekho Kaun Aaya, Foltest Striga, Gender Roles In The 18th Century, O Neend Na Mujhko Aaye Karaoke, The Sweetness At The Bottom Of The Pie Movie, Hurricanes Rugby Instagram, Pig Snout Recipes, Bastard Meaning, Suku Suku, Photography Expressions, Dodo Rex, General Kelly Usmc Death, 10 Roses Bouquet, Air Force Reserve Command Headquartersrap Song Don't Stop Get It Get It, Mere Desh Ki Ladki Song, Lucy Steel Diego, Lemon Jelly Chelsea Boots, Women's Hockey World Cup Winners, 2012 Yankees, Silver Soul, Last Chance To Save The World Game, Hawaiian Punch Orange Sherbet Ginger Ale, Hollywood Studios Map 2020 Pdf, Disney Plus Logo White, Ipcc Report 2019, Fort Wilderness Campground Rates 2020, The Unbearable Lightness Of Being Amazon, Coochiemudlo Island Crime, Away Luggage Lock, Earth Day Poster, The Welshmen Of Tirawley, James Mattis Twitter, Disneyland Paris New Years Eve 2020, The Long Call, Duane Starks, Nyquist Equation, Gummibär Dame La Gomita, Major League Cricket Usa, Football Cartoon, I Don't Think About You All The Time But When I Do I Wonder Why, New Robbie Williams Album, $15,000 Blocks Of Land Gold Coast, Hole Punch Tool For Wood, Ferries Cleveland, Moscow Mule With Tequila, Random Cocktail Generator App, Nail Salons Near Me, Marcos Alonso FIFA 20, Hyeon Chung Us Open 2019, Lakdi Ki Kathi Movie Song, Fermented Ginger Ale Recipe, The Stars And Stripes Forever, Roomies Review, Andy Fowler Smiling, Principal Message In School Magazine, How Old Is Hannah Laity, Saliba Potential Fifa 20, Texaco Logo Vector, How To Draw Scott Robertson Pdf, Poorest Big Cities In America 2019, Of Time And The River Analysis, Je Te Donne Génération Goldman, Sergi Canos,