you are right. I think Sheik Mo is trying to make Dubai a stop on the derby trail for his country and gets influenced away from what's best for the horse. He does love his horses though as the book about Dubai Mellenium attests to.

I sure hope everyone doesn't buy into the media's need to trash these people just because they can. One guys father was doing the wheeling and dealing and is awaiting sentencing on bribery. But "small time" or not, it is a great story. Let's at least give them some time to enjoy this and give them a tip of the cap for a job very well done.

Not quite sure what this a reference to, but Dubai Millennium died in the middle of his first breeding season.

As for people talking about sending horses to/from Dubai...no one seems think that getting there is a major hassle considering Well Armed, Curlin, Invasor, Pleasantly Perfect, Cigar, etc etc had no problems shipping THOUSANDS of miles and winning some big prizes.

People want to keep living their own myths about some Dubai "curse" or whatever...go on if you must, but it's not there.

Godolphin horses have tried seven times in the Derby over five different races and have no wins. The same could be said for...say...sending your horses to Todd Pletcher...

he was talking about a book written about dubai millenium.

as for horses going to dubai and back, more often then not you see people talking about how long it takes them to return to form, and how it knocks them out for a few months sometimes. the sheik had a horse he shipped over here who ended up dying from what they call shipping fever. another horse shipped from here to there came back, came down with colic and died. it's harder on the horses then you seem to think. the thing most criticize the sheik about is not that he ships from dubai to here. but that he ships these horses back and forth several times before attempting the derby. it is draining. he's had some good horses-some of whom that many feel would make a greater impact if they didn't have to repeatedly go thru quarantine and shipping.

Godolophin has a problem and its Saeed Bin Surror. The guy cant manage/train horses. He is the Dubai's version of Todd Pletcher. He gets loads and loads of regally bred horses and may produce 1 or 2 good winners out of them.

It was a book about a horse he owned and the difficulty he faced when the horse died. Since his death he actually has pursued every one of the offspring, bought them and pensioned them out to different farms. It is an approach. Many of the horses you speak of Well Armed, Curlin, Pleasantly Perfect, Cigar were not three yr olds when they went over. Invasor ran there at three, faced his only lose but had shipped there from Uraguay. Indian Blessing recently scratched out of a race as she was a bit dull in her works since coming back from Dubai. It isn't that it can't be done but when you are talking about 3 year olds, it is a very tough process for them. It requires alot of maturity.

I've been thinking about the Derby and think I now understand how it happened. Consider the following scenario:

A horse who had previously won races running on/near the front end misses the break, stumbles, or is squeezed back, drops several lengths back behind the next-last horse and you think "well, he's toast." Yet lo and behold, same horse finds a new dimension, and comes roaring down the stretch to win, or just miss. No one knew he had it in him, least of all the rider and trainer. Doesn't happen every day, or every month, but we have all seen it happen.

So yesterday it happened in the Kentucky Derby. Not going to happen again in our lifetime, most likely. Especially not without a patented Calvin Bo-Rail unimpeded passage on the best part of the track. The races that Mine That Bird won to be named champion 2yo in Canada were won by being forwardly placed, within a few lengths of the leader. Nobody could have logically predicted that he was capable of that kind of finishing kick from the next county. And although his pedigree hinted that he would move up on mud, he hadn't had the opportunity to display it. A sort of perfect storm of circumstances.

You got me....I have this terrible bias against cowboy hats! :rolleyes:

Which is why I said she had good people instincts. :D

I wasn't being clear about Borel- I meant that he's one of those people in the game it's easy to root for. (Though clearly I don't let silly sentiments like that factor into my wagers as my win bet was on Desert Party and see how well that worked out!)

Yep, the old "get a lemon and make lemonade" scenario.

Someone else posted smartly elsewhere around here that Calvin may not have felt as comfortable to be as personally creative had he been riding a more expensive or favored horse for "more established" connections. I essentially concur.

Taking Mine That Bird back so far would have left lots of room for 2nd guessing on a favored horse had he not been successful.

Regardless, now that 30 hours or so have passed I am confident that Borel's ride in the 2009 Kentucky Derby will be one I'll enjoy watching and thinking about in years to come.

Watch last year's Derby if you don't think Borel would have done that on a more expensive or favored horse for "more established" connections.

who did he ride last year?

Denis of Cork.

ok, thanks. i couldn't remember, and i'm too tired, lazy and cranky to look it up.
so sick of doing other peoples' jobs at work.

The all time unbeaten mark is at least 54, the number of races won by the Hungarian wonderhorse Kincsem. And she was winning Derbies and races that are today European G1s. "All time" includes all of Thoroughbred racing history, not just the last 50 years.

Hungarian? Pfft.

That's (Ga)bor-ing.

;)

Just thought it was worth mentioning that Mine that Bird further destroyed two of the supposed myths about the Derby:

-can't win with only two preps.
-can't win if your last start was more than four weeks out.

Hadn't Barbaro, Big Brown and Street Sense done a number on those "myths" as well?

NT

Hence the reason why I said "further" destroyed them, less anyone think that those winners were exceptions to the rules.