Thoughts on the 135th Kentucky Derby

If you watched the Kentucky Derby yesterday, you treated yourself to a great race.

After the favorite I Want Revenge bowed out early, the first time the morning-line Derby favorite scratched on the day of the race, the top contenders were thought to be horses such as Friesan Fire, Dunkirk, and Pioneerof the Nile (no typo there). Friesan Fire was ultimately the favorite for many, owing to the sloppy track the horse is said to love.

But it was Mine That Bird, running as a 50-1 longshot, that stole the show. Despite having Belmont and Travers Stakes-winning Birdstone as his sire, despite having previous Derby-winning jockey Calvin Borel (Street Sense) on his back, Mine That Bird didn’t have a lot of respect going into the Derby, receiving such high praise as, “As good as the top few are in this race, some of the bottom feeders, like this guy, are really weak.”

Indeed, nobody seemed to have any faith in this plain brown horse, not even NBC’s Kentucky Derby announcer, who doesn’t acknowledge Mine That Bird’s move into the lead until he was already a few lengths ahead of the rest. Here is the proof (the first two minutes comprise the race):

I can understand how it was difficult to see Calvin Borel lead Mine That Bird out from the depths of the pack to squeeze past Join in the Dance at the rail from the low angle we see on NBC. But the announcer clearly has a love for star jockey Garrett Gomez and Pioneerof the Nile, enthusiastically calling his name as Mine That Bird poises himself to take the lead. Eleven seconds later, now many lengths ahead, Mine That Bird is finally acknowledged to have taken the lead, seven seconds before he wins in an “impossible result.”

If you go back up to the video and tune in at 7:27, you can see a much better aerial view of the last part of the race. (An added treat: at 8:26 you can see the aerial view of Borel’s similar Derby win on Street Sense in 2007.) This view makes a much more exciting race, as you can see Borel make his move from near the way back of the pack, passing 13 horses to take the lead and win the race.

Had NBC’s announcer been calling the race from that angle, I don’t imagine he would have been able to wait until Mine That Bird was several lengths ahead of the rest before noting his move.

The call of this race reminds me a bit of the quiz show scandals from the 1950s, where the contestant gives the correct answer, “Emily Dickinson,” and the show’s host replies, “I’m sorry, Jim. (pause) Did—Did you say Emily Dickinson?”

Sorry, Pioneerof the Nile, we know that you were supposed to win, but in the end, Calvin Borel and Mine That Bird had the right answer. A stunning, but not impossible, victory.