A Triple Crown to Remember - Calvin Borel is Still Undecided

There will not be a 12th Triple Crown winner this year, and in most years where this is not a Triple Crown at stake, by the time the Belmont Stakes rolls around, the interest in the race has diminished.

However, this year, there are more interesting storylines than a full week’s episodes of All My Children and General Hospital combined.

The most intriguing aspect of this year’s Belmont Stakes with less than two weeks to go is whether we will see the match up everyone wants to see: Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird vs. Preakness winner Rachel Alexandra.

Mine That Bird will be in the Big Apple, although the gelding may end up with the third different jockey in three races.

Keeping up in suspense is the connections of Rachel Alexandra, who has not yet committed to running in the race.

The filly worked at Churchill Downs on Monday, and majority owner Jess Jackson said after the morning drill that a final decision likely would not be made until sometime next week.

“She's recovering nicely and I think, for the time that's elapsed, only nine days, she's right on, but we can't make a decision until we know," Jackson said. "My concern is her attitude. She thinks she can run through a brick wall, so her attitude has to be monitored. If anything, we have to hold her back a little bit because she's so eager to run. She's been running the whole year so we have to monitor that very carefully."

If her connections decide to skip the Belmont Stakes, the next logical race for the filly would be the $300,000 Mother Goose Stakes (G1) for 3-year-old fillies going nine furlongs at Belmont Park on June 27.

That leaves jockey Calvin Borel hanging for at least another week. The jockey jumped off Mine That Bird to ride Rachel Alexandra in the Preakness Stakes, and would become the first jockey to win the Triple Crown riding different horses if he gets to the wire first in the Belmont Stakes.

However, who does he ride?

Originally, Mine That Bird trainer Chip Woolley said last week that Borel would have to let him know by Monday, but after Jackson put off his decision with Rachel Alexandra for another week, Woolley is doing the same for naming a jockey.

That gives Borel and his agent Jerry Hissam a week reprieve in making a decision.

If Rachel Alexandra does go in the Belmont Stakes, Borel would take the call, meaning Woolley would be looking for yet another jockey.

Mike Smith, who rode Mine That Bird to a runner up finish in the Preakness Stakes, will be in California.

Smith has a commitment to ride Madeo in the $300,000 Charlie Whittingham Stakes at Hollywood Park for one of his main clients in owner Jerry Moss and trainer John Shirreffs on the same day as the Belmont Stakes.

Smith rides the undefeated Zenyatta for the connections.

Therefore, despite winning the Kentucky Derby and running second in the Preakness Stakes, Woolley may be seeking his third different jockey, which seems unfathomable.

Meanwhile, with Rachel Alexandra and Mine That Bird grabbing all of the headlines and attention, there are going to be a handful of other three year olds that are not just going to hand over the Belmont Stakes to the duo.