Post by Peter Gross on May 7, 2009 6:08:54 GMT -5
We missed another Canadian angle when we broke down the mind-blowing 50-1 win by Mine That Bird in the Kentucky Derby last Saturday. There was a short period of time in which Chantal Sutherland thought she'd be flying down to Lexington to ride Mine That Bird. She had been called by the owners, but ultimately they had the chance to get Calvin Borel and Chantal understood.
"That's horse racing," she shrugged. And no one could argue that Borel wasn't the best possible choice. His rail riding journey to victory will go down as one of the all-time greats.
Fast Forward to last night. Sutherland wins the fourth race by a widening 9 lengths on favourite Valid Squeeze. Afterward, on the Score, she's being interviewed by Renee Keirans and Sutherland lets it out of the bag that she still might get a mount in a Triple Crown race.
"Rachel Alexandra might run in the Preakness," she revealed to Keirans and this could set off a series of dominoes that just might send Sutherland to Baltimore. Rachel Alexandra is the star of the three year-old fillies and her 20 length win in the Oaks on the day before the Derby was dazzling, to say the least. More importantly, Rachel Alexandra was ridden by Calvin Borel. If the filly is thrown into the Preakness mix a week from Saturday, Borel has a big decision to make. Is he more committed to the owners of the filly than he is to the people who own Mine That Bird? Because if Borel elects to ride Rachel Alexandra, Sutherland's name, once again, gets in the mix.
Though it's hard to imagine that Borel would abandon the chance to double up in the Preakness with Mine That Bird. How many chances does the average jockey get to go for the Triple Crown?
"That's horse racing," she shrugged. And no one could argue that Borel wasn't the best possible choice. His rail riding journey to victory will go down as one of the all-time greats.
Fast Forward to last night. Sutherland wins the fourth race by a widening 9 lengths on favourite Valid Squeeze. Afterward, on the Score, she's being interviewed by Renee Keirans and Sutherland lets it out of the bag that she still might get a mount in a Triple Crown race.
"Rachel Alexandra might run in the Preakness," she revealed to Keirans and this could set off a series of dominoes that just might send Sutherland to Baltimore. Rachel Alexandra is the star of the three year-old fillies and her 20 length win in the Oaks on the day before the Derby was dazzling, to say the least. More importantly, Rachel Alexandra was ridden by Calvin Borel. If the filly is thrown into the Preakness mix a week from Saturday, Borel has a big decision to make. Is he more committed to the owners of the filly than he is to the people who own Mine That Bird? Because if Borel elects to ride Rachel Alexandra, Sutherland's name, once again, gets in the mix.
Though it's hard to imagine that Borel would abandon the chance to double up in the Preakness with Mine That Bird. How many chances does the average jockey get to go for the Triple Crown?
