No Rachel Alexandra in the Belmont.

[Justpat]

Jess Jackson said she needs a break. Thank God. I"m glad they came to this decision.

And now Calvin Borel will get the mount on Mine That Bird.

Good news all around.


http://www.paulickreport.com/blog/no-rachel-in-the-belmont/

[bread_and_roses]

1. I like your positive attitude

I like MtB so much, and RA so much better after the Preakness - not because she won, but because she seemed to me pretty gritty holding on at the end. Am enjoying each race for what it is. Surely, both the Derby and the Preakness gave us plenty to celebrate in terms of excitement. Other nice horses coming in the Belmont too. Charitable Man looks a beauty to me, and although I hate his name, in all the photos of him I've seen Mr.Hot Stuff looks a black beauty prancing about. So if nothing else, the Belmont should offer me plenty in terms of visuals. And if MtB wins, that will be terrific. But it's a long way, and it's defeated a lot of real good horses. But whatever else, this TC has offered more fun and excitement than any non-Crown year since I've been watching (not that many years).

[Justpat]

2. The filly certainly added excitement and challenge to this year's TC.

Now MTB has a chance to redeem his Preakness run with a good showing in the Belmont. IF the Wooley hasn't trained him into oblivion, he'll be
right there. This distance should suit him.

[aaronbees]

3. I think it's a smart move

Freshen her up a bit before a challenging summer/fall campaign. That's what I hope they do. Mine That Bird is my pick for the Belmont; I think he'll relish the distance. There's still plenty of intrigue for the race ... we'll get to see if Calvin wins his own "Triple Crown" of sorts.

[Justpat]

4. My only concern about MTB is whether or not wooley

is training him to death.

Also, I would have been happier if he had brought the horse here to Belmont to train. Not many horses have one this race
without training here for a bit first.

If this little horse does win the Belmont then he is one of the toughest horses we have seen in many years.
I hope he does it.

[two gun sid]

6. I couldn't agree more....

MTB was completely off my radar and he shocked me in the Derby and I expected him to finish up the track in the Preakness. He's a better horse than I thought. And yes, if he wins the Belmont, he is the toughest little horse we've seen in quite a while. Good luck to the Wooley crew and MTB.

[bread_and_roses]

7. Bird's Monday work

http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/horse/triplecrown09/news/story?id=4221526

Working at about 8:40 a.m. Eastern, shortly after the track reopened following the harrow break, Mine That Bird went in splits of 13.80, 26.60, and 38.40 seconds before speeding from the eighth pole to the wire in 11.30 seconds. His five-furlong gallop-out time was a strong 1:02.20...

... Woolley, who watched from the six-furlong gap on the backstretch, said he was extremely pleased with what he saw. "I was just thinking last week that he's been training even better than he was going into the Derby," he said.

(I don't have the knowlege base to judge works, but I am interested in what you and Sid say about them.)

[Justpat]

8. It is a good maintenance type work

This horse is dead fit - you don't need him to go 5/8 in 59 or something. The fact that he went the last eighth in eleven in change is great.

I still think it was a big mistake for him to have trained at Churchill. All the horses who have won the Belmont in the last couple of decades
have trained there at least a few weeks before the race. They don't call Belmont Big Sandy for nothing. A horse needs to get used to
this surface and to the fact that the track seems to go on forever.

[bread_and_roses]

5. Im afraid a Borell personal TC doesn't excite me at all

I don't follow jockeys, and while it would be a nice feat for him, deserving of many kudos and accolades, which I'll give as freely as the next person, really, my reaction is "so what?" as far as my own interest in it. I admit, that when I read that RA was out of the Belmont, it took a lot of "you don't know how the Preakness would have played had she not been in it" for me to avoid silly resentment. I enjoy the excitement of a TC run. I'd like to see one. I'd particularly have liked to see this little colt take it - maybe more than any horse since the Smarty heart-breaker. But, he may bomb in the Belmont anyway - lots of horses do, after all. Or just not win it. They've been exciting races so far, and the Belmont is always exciting, I think, for the distance. So it is what it is.

[aaronbees]

13. It doesn't excite me a whole bunch

Because when it comes down to it it's about the horse personalities for me. But I really like Calvin, and seeing him succeed is a thrill. I'm intrigued if more people will tune in or show up at the track because he'll be in the limelight. I have a few casual racing fan friends who really got excited about Calvin's success and personality in the Derby and Preakness, so I'm willing to bet there's more of that out there in the public.

[trumad]

9. I'm hoping for decent odds on MTB.

I think he'll win by 10===MHO

[Justpat]

10. Can't promise anything

but we are stabled at Belmont. If I see MTB tomorrow I'll let you know now he looks.

I'm interested to see how far Wooley gallops him in the next two days.

The horse is fit enough to go around the world twice.

[aaronbees]

12. I am interested in how Charitable Man and Dunkirk look

Charitable Man is getting lots of chatter but I don't buy it. Dunkirk seems like he could be sitting on a big one, and I'm interested in him for the place spot after That Bird. He got so much buzz pre-Kentucky Derby but seems a bit under the radar now; I like that, and Pletcher for all his Triple Crown faults seems to do well in the Belmont. I like Chocolate Candy too, and he's been up there for a while training; that could give him a nice edge.

[Justpat]

14. Saw Dunkirk yesterday.

He looks fantastic - looks the part of a 3.7 million yearling.

I watched the video of MTB breezing at Churchill. I didn't think he was moving so great. BUt I don't know what he usually looks like.
I'll see what I can find out today. We are stabled way on the other side of the training track so I have to go hand out by the
man track to see any real activity.

[trumad]

15. I lost a couple of Benjamin's on Dunkirk the last 3 races he's run...

I'm tempted to lose another...if the money is right---

Are early odds out yet?

[Justpat]

16. Watchmaker has him at 5-1 in Friday's DRF.

Track odds 4-1.


Watched MTB gallop this morning. Will post a pic later. He is not as small as I thought and beautifully made.

[Justpat]

11. Mine That Bird post seven in ten horse field in Belmont n/t