Belmont Update - Rachel Alexandra is out, Borel to Ride Mine That Bird

Belmont Stakes: Rachel is a No Go Freeing Up Calvin Borel to Ride Mine That Bird

With Rachel Alexandra pulling out of the Belmont Stakes, Mine That Bird, the Kentucky Derby winner in the third jewel of the Triple Crown.

Why is that important? Well, for starters no jockey has ever won a Triple Crown on two different horses. Borel would be the first which is one of the reasons that Woolley was so keen on waiting for Jess Jackson and Steve Asmussen, the owner and trainer of Rachel Alexandra respectively, to decide on running the Preakness Stakes winner.

Woolley now has a chance to become part of history, albeit through Borel, and what trainer wouldn’t want to do that? Also, there’s no question that Borel was fantastic aboard both Mine That Bird in the Kentucky Derby and Rachel Alexandra in the Preakness. Since Mike Smith has an engagement in California on Belmont Day, it made sense for Mine That Bird’s connections to wait for Borel.

Of course, the bigger question is whether or not Borel on Mine That Bird is going to matter to gamblers. For some BetUS online racebook fans, it already has as the sportsbook was offering action wagering on which mount Borel would end up on. But for most horseplayers, Borel on Mine That Bird won’t change that horse’s style and the lack of Rachel Alexandra might not be that big of a deal.

Rachel would have had to face two new shooters that, from the point-of-view of some horseplayers, would have definitely hurt her chances. Both Charitable Man, the winner of the Peter Pan Stakes, and Dunkirk, the second place finisher in the Florida Derby, weren’t going to let Rachel get away with the easy stalking trip she got away with when shadowing Big Drama in the Preakness.

For Mine That Bird, the lack of Rachel Alexandra in the race means that he has one less horse to run down in the long Belmont Stretch.