MINE THAT BIRD ZIPS IN WORKOUT, COULD RACE THIS WEEKEND

Mine That Bird, upset winner of the 2009 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (Grade I), turned in a sharp five-furlong work on Monday at Churchill Downs in preparation for a possible return to racing at the historic track this weekend.

Jockey Calvin Borel was in the saddle as Double Eagle Ranch and Buena Suerte Equine’s 4-year-old Birdstone gelding zipped over a muddy track for Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas in a “bullet”:59.80, the fastest work of 26 at the distance.
Churchill Downs clockers caught Mine That Bird in fractional times of :12.20, :24.20, :36.20 and :47.80 and galloped out six furlongs in 1:14.60. The track had been listed as sloppy earlier in the morning following overnight rains, but was drying out by the time Mine That Bird stepped on the one-mile oval at around 8:30 a.m. (all times EDT), just after the mid-session break for track maintenance.

“I told Calvin we needed to let him do it with no prompting today, just let him do it on his own,” Lukas said. “I told him I’d like to see him finish up and if he’d get it in a minute to 1:01, that would be about right. Once I turned him loose and I rode over by the rail to see how deep it was, I thought ‘If he does that, he’s going to be really going good’. And then he goes 59-and-four.”

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Mine That Bird owner discusses future

June 3, 2010 - Congenial and courteous as always, Dr. Leonard Blach, joint-owner of Mine That Bird, recently agreed to reveal his current thoughts concerning the famous winner of the 135th Kentucky Derby.

"We gave the horse a much-needed 6-month rest at Mark Allen's (Blach's partner in the ownership of Mine That Bird) Double Eagle Ranch in Roswell," Blach said.
"Since March 15, however, Mark and Charlie Figueroa have been training Bird on a 5/8-mile track at the Double Eagle.

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Mine That Bird breezes sharp half-mile

Churchill Downs - June 2, 2010 - Mine That Bird had his second workout for trainer D. Wayne Lukas when he breezed a half-mile in 48 seconds over a fast track shortly after the renovation break Wednesday morning at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky.

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