Cool Jerk (The Capitols, 1966)
OK Calvin Borel, enough is enough. The jig is up.
You and your agent, Jerry Hissam _ and we used to like you guys_ have taken this too far. Perhaps you think you're too famous these days, you Mr. Stay-in-Manhattan all Belmont week and then climbing aboard Mine That Bird, making an early move and finishing third in the Belmont Stakes.
It's fine to be confident and cocky. Heck, you earned it after so many years of riding the rails before hitting it big in the 2007 Kentucky Derby aboard Street Sense. But what the hell are you doing now?
You were desperate for a Derby ride this year, and got hooked up with Mine That Bird and won the dang thing at 50-1. Then you ditched him for a filly and beat your own Derby winner in the Preakness with Rachel Alexandra. Ain't it grand to be you -- going for your own personal Triple Crown?
And then you diss Belmont Park, refuse to ride one race over the course in the week leading up to the Belmont and what happens? You move early, and the Bird can't hold off Summer Bird in the stretch.
So now you are waffling again, and thank goodness Mine That Bird's trainer Chip Woolley made his move now -- Hey Calvin, you're outta here if you don't commit to my gelding through the Breeders' Cup ... Well, Hissam was being hush and refusing to commit to anything other than to Warrior's Reward _ a 3-year-old with promise who runs in the Dwyer at Belmont on Saturday and likely the Jim Dandy on Aug. 1. Oops! That's the same day you're supposed to ride Mine That Bird in the West Virginia Derby, and then comes the Travers and then the Breeders' Cup Classic. So you won't commit to the horse you won the Derby on? You want to ride for Ian Wilkes, who took over for the man who put you on Street Sense (Carl Nafzger)?
Good for you. Your choice. And now you won't ride the Derby winner again.
What you tried to do -- keep Woolley hanging on _ is not popular in this corner, and not good for the sport .. and Calvin, you know it. Yes, it's all about the money and heaven knows you made a ton of it aboard Mine That Bird, not to mention winning 7 in a row aboard Rachel Alexandra. So you made your choice by refusing to make a commitment. You made a commitment to Rachel. Why not Mine That Bird? A horse that will be running long after Rachel is sent to the farm? You guys may know more about this then this corner, but what is coming out in the media is not too pretty. Here's hoping Woolley & Co. come up with a rider that will bring their horse back to the winner's circle -- in West Virginia, New York and California.
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Ignorant comments by a stupid writer, Horse racing is a business, are you going to talk bad about Mike Smith because he wouldnt give MTB's connections a year long committment to ride the Gelding. Probably not. Nice to see you are working on a blog that barely anyone reads.
ReplyDeleteI think Mike Smith might have won the Belmont Stakes aboard Mine That Bird. Instead, he chose to ride a horse that finished fourth in the Charlie Whittingham. I agree that racing is a business. Some make good business decisions, others make poor ones. And thanks for the comment.
ReplyDeleteThe announcement today that Julien Leparaoux is riding Mine That Bird is amazing! Of all the jockeys out there, I think his patient riding style suits the little gelding to a "T" and of course we all remember his success at Saratoga a couple years back. Best of luck to Calvin Borel and Julien Leparaoux!
ReplyDeleteWell it seems that announcement was premature. However, Leparoux would have been a good choice; but now that the official choice is Mike Smith, I think Mine That Bird will have a great shot at winning the WV Derby and the Travers, and that means Hall of Fame Mikey will ride Zenyatta in the BC Ladies Classic and the Bird in the BC Classic. I like that double
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