not really. their best ever derby finish was sixth. today their best was eighth.

He ran well. It was a pretty good day for Birdstone, who never got the respect he deserved as a racehorse.
I have always hoped that he would become a good sire, and today certainly won't hurt.

my newest angle - juiced Birdstones on the slop. i remember when he (Birdstone) flopped at the Lanes End on a sealed track, with Bailey pitching a fit. lol

From Unbridled to Grindstone to Birdstone now to Mine That Bird, well I think we can say 3 Derby winners and a Belmont isn't too shabby for that line. Hmm.

Pioneer showed well for himself despite some people absolutely insisting that he couldn't run on dirt (and calling those who didn't write him off like they did idiots).

The California form held up pretty good.

Couldn't have picked that winner with 1000 tries. I wouldn't have ever put him in the super.

Musket Man will win some good races this year.

If this winner was owned by the same guy that owns Rachel Alexandra, he wouldn't have even been in the race since he says the TC is a showcase for stallions and Mine that Bird is a gelding.

from drf:


Woolley (the derby winning trainer) had won with 1 of 32 starters this year before Saturday.

I guess we will remember his name now...... Hell I love this game and cant remember who trained the winners in the last three years.

Hard to see the Sunland Derby not getting Grade III status next year now. That will throw the preps of some horses for a loop.

how can you forget that oh so lovable warm and fuzzy guy from last year? :rolleyes:

At least Monmouth park won't have to create a special race for him like they did for Big Brown last year. They run 30k claimers at least twice a week there.

everyone who didn't want POTN because of jon whites incessant praise needs to send mine that birds connections a thank you card.

Post of the year

Andy's already thanked MYNAH BIRD publicly, and no telling what he would do for the horse privately. Who has your injured- pawed IWR beaten? Nobody? Where did the horses he beat finish in the Derby? Nowhere...IWR has good figures at 1 track, and beat nobody in the process. He got great figures at that track, because, well, you've got the figure makers living there. Big Surprise. Tell me who that IWR has beaten. He has good figures from biased figure-makers. So what. W BERNIE, or Atomic do anything in the Derby to justify the figs they got in the WOOD? NO!! All signs point to POTN's race at HWD, (and the Lewis at ANITA) being given low figures due to bias. Soon as Clem left town he got better figs. When IWR left town his figs went thru the roof(even though he beat nothing at all last time.) Then POTN beats Clem AGAIN, and beats the Illinois Derby Winner(both were supposed to be faster on dirt than POTN.) All signs point to him being atleast 2nd or 3rd best in his class. So, you better start bitching about the whole class of 3 year olds now. Would make more sense than trying to make fun of a horse who is consistently running well at 4 different tracks(turf, synthetic, and dirt.) He's not flashy, but he isn't the dog(or "joke") you've consistently portrayed him to be.

I guess between Peppers Pride and Mine that Bird, New Mexico racing might get a little more respect, eh?

Seriously, it is pretty cool that the often dissed here New Mexico's Peppers Pride leaves the all time unbeaten mark at 19 within five months of another New Mexico racing connection winning the Kentucky Derby....easily.

Like it or not, it happened.

Hold Me Back's backstretch move was a Derby winning move... a few furlongs early.

I thought for sure Papa Clem was going to win at the top of the stretch.

i wasn't an IWR 'fan'. but i did think he had the best shot today.
i didn't dog POTN either. i'd bet him at santa anita any day of the week.

Isn't that what he did in the Remsen?

i posted the other day that mott didn't like him on dirt, and pointed to his remsen as the reason why....people still picked him.

What?! The Remsen was an okay effort all things considered. And for a horse who didn't like the dirt, he certainly picked off plenty of horses going down the backstretch with no problem.