Favorite Races 2009: West Virginia Derby

The past few weeks I've been sharing some of my favorite races from the past year. This week I'm sharing three races to make up for last week, this week and Christmas being next week.

Today it's the lone all male stakes race that I will be talking about the West Virginia Derby.

Wanted: A steady jockey who will STAY on a former 50-1 longshot who suprised everyone. For more information please contact Mine That Bird in New Mexico. Thanks!

That's pretty much how you sum up Mine That Bird's Spring and Summer. The Derby winner had been bounced around between Calvin Borel and Mike Smith. With Borel unavaliable as he was riding Warrior's Reward in the Jim Dandy, Smith was rode the Derby champ in the WV Derby and was going to ride him in the Travers (more on that later). However, Preakness fouth place finisher Big Drama and Iowa Derby runner-up Soul Warrior had other plans. As Big Drama got off to a large lead, he was run down by Soul Warror in the final furlong. Mine That Bird could only finish in third. This was the biggest win of his jockey Dale Beckner's career and he was filling in for Miguel Mena who was supposed to ride the son of Lion Heart. Here's the video:




Unfortanlly Soul Warrior really hasn't reproduced his form from this race, add in Dale Beckner shortly afterwards was in a serious accident at Presque Isle. Big Drama ran horribly in the King's Bishop, while Mine That Bird was forced to miss the Travers due to throut issues. Reunited with Borel for his final two races of the season, MTB showed that he was pretty much a fluke winner. He's currently getting ready for next season in New Mexico. Expect Borel to continue to ride him, EXCEPT when in conflicts with a certin bay daughter of a certin El Prado stallion ;).

Tomorrow's race is actually two races (but will be counted as one) as we go north of the border.