Borel Out As Jockey For Mine That Bird

After reports surfaced earlier this week that iconic jockey Calvin Borel could spur Mine That Bird again, the horses connections decided to cut ties with Borel before it got to that point again.

Borel and his agent, Jerry Hissam, had indicated that the jockey had committed to Warriors Reward in the Jim Dandy Stakes at Saratoga the same day that Mine That Bird was scheduled to run at the West Virginia Derby at Mountaineer Park

To avoid any delay on getting Mine That Bird ready, Mark Allen, co-owner of the colt, decided to go with another jockey through the Breeders Cup in November. While that jockey has yet to be named it is clear that Allen became increasingly upset at Borels hedging.

Borel rode long-shot Mine That Bird to victory in the Kentucky Derby, but jumped to Rachel Alexandra in the Preakness Stakes, narrowly beating Mine That Bird and jockey Mike Smith.

Following Rachel Alexandra’s victory in the Preakness, it was unclear whether she would start in the Belmont and Borel held off on his decision until Rachel Alexandra was officially withdrawn. Then Borel decided to ride Mine That Bird again and the couple finished in third.

During the time in which Borel had been undecided, Allen spoke out harshly and set a deadline for his commitment, which was quickly rescinded, but this time he stuck with it.

“Im not going to bad-mouth Calvin or Jerry because theyve done me a lot of good,” said Allen. “Heck, they won the Derby for me. But Im not going to let them hang us out the way they did before the Preakness, waiting until the last minute to tell us we needed another rider. Im going to do what I have to do, just like they have to do what they have to do.”

Smith, a Hall-of-Famer, is uncertain to replace Borel at this point as his agent, Brad Pegram stated he is unable to commit to the BC Classic as he may be riding Zenyetta in the race. Smith was unable to ride Mine That Bird in the Belmont because he had a commitment to a horse for a race on the same day in California that he made prior to be asked to ride in the Preakness.

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