2009 Kentucky Derby

135th Kentucky Derby
Presented by Yum! Brands
Kentucky Derby
Official logo for the 2009 Kentucky Derby
LocationChurchill Downs
DateMay 2, 2009
Winning horseMine That Bird
Winning time2:02.66
Starting price50-1
JockeyCalvin Borel
TrainerBennie L. Woolley Jr.
OwnerDouble Eagle Ranch et al.
ConditionsSloppy
SurfaceDirt
Attendance153,653
← 2008
2010 →

The 2009 Kentucky Derby was the 135th running of the Kentucky Derby. The value of the race was $2,177,000 in stakes.[1] The race was sponsored by Yum! Brands and hence officially was called Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands.[1] The race took place on May 2, 2009, and was televised in the United States on the NBC television network. The Atlanta-based Southern Tourism Society named the Kentucky Derby Festival, which was April 11 to May 1, as one of the top tourist attractions in the Southeast for the first half of 2009.[2] The post time was 6:24 p.m. EDT (10:24 p.m. UTC).[3] The official attendance at Churchill Downs was 153,563.[4]

Results

"Down toward the inside coming on through, that is, uh, Mine That Bird, now is coming on to take the lead as they come to the finish. In a spectacular...spectacular upset...Mine that Bird has won the Kentucky Derby! An impossible result here!"

—NBC Sports race announcer Tom Durkin calling the end of the race

The ending of the race came as a shock to those in attendance as Mine That Bird, trained by "Chip" Woolley Jr. and ridden by Calvin Borel, running dead last until the final turn, suddenly moved into the lead in the final furlong. He took the lead so fast after the final turn that NBC Sports race announcer Tom Durkin didn't notice the gelding and was still heatedly describing the performance of Pioneerof the Nile and Musket Man despite Mine That Bird already opening a three-length lead over the pack. Mine That Bird won by 63⁄4 lengths for the longest margin of victory in over 60 years. He was the longest-odds horse to win the Derby in over 85 years.[5][6]

Results Post Horse Winnings
Win 8 Mine That Bird $1,417,000
Place 16 Pioneerof the Nile $400,000
Show 2 Musket Man $200,000
Fourth 7 Papa Clem $100,000
Fifth 11 Chocolate Candy $60,000
  • Margins – 63⁄4 lengths, nose
  • Time – 2:02.66
  • Track – Sloppy (sealed)

Payout

The 135th Kentucky Derby Payout Schedule
Program
Number 		Horse Name
 Win
 Place
 Show
8 Mine That Bird US$103.20 $54.00 $25.80
16 Pioneerof The Nile - $8.40 $6.40
2 Musket Man - - $12.00

Churchill Downs had scheduled their first futures wager pool for the year to begin on February 12, with two subsequent pools opening on March 12 and April 2. Offering 24 betting options (23 individual horses at odds ranging from 10–1 to 50–1, and an "All others" option at 5-2 odds), favorites include Capt. Candyman Can and Old Fashioned at 10–1, followed by Friesan Fire, Midshipman, Pioneerof the Nile, Stardom Bound, This Ones for Phil, and Vineyard Haven at 12–1.[7]

After the starter draw for the running, I Want Revenge was installed as the 3-1 morning line favorite.[8] His scratch later in the morning marked the first time that the morning line favorite was scratched on the day of the race.

Friesan Fire, winner of the Louisiana Derby, started the race as the 19-5 (3.80-1) favorite.[1]

The field

Post positions were drawn Thursday, April 30, 2009.[9][10]

Post Horse name Trainer Jockey Opening Odds Starting Odds Finishing Pos.
1 West Side Bernie Kelly J. Breen Stewart Elliott 30-1 32.40 9
2 Musket Man Derek S. Ryan Eibar Coa 20-1 19.00 3
3 Mr. Hot Stuff Eoin G. Harty John Velazquez 30-1 28.40 15
4 Advice Todd A. Pletcher René Douglas 30-1 49.00 13
5 Hold Me Back William I. Mott Kent Desormeaux 15-1 12.70 12
6 Friesan Fire J. Larry Jones Gabriel Saez 5-1 3.80 Fav. 18
7 Papa Clem Gary Stute Rafael Bejarano 20-1 12.20 4
8 Mine That Bird Bennie L. Woolley Jr. Calvin Borel 50-1 50.60 1
9 Join in the Dance Todd Pletcher Chris DeCarlo 50-1 51.40 7
10 Regal Ransom Saeed bin Suroor Alan Garcia 30-1 22.60 8
11 Chocolate Candy Jerry Hollendorfer Mike E. Smith 20-1 10.00 5
12 General Quarters Thomas R. McCarthy Julien Leparoux 20-1 10.30 10
13 I Want Revenge Jeff Mullins Joe Talamo 3-1 Scratched[11] Scratched Scratched
14 Atomic Rain Kelly J. Breen Joe Bravo 50-1 55.20 16
15 Dunkirk Todd A. Pletcher Edgar Prado 4-1 5.20 11
16 Pioneerof the Nile Bob Baffert Garrett Gomez 4-1 6.30 2
17 Summer Bird Tim A. Ice Chris Rosier 50-1 43.60 6
18 Nowhere to Hide Nick Zito Shaun Bridgmohan 50-1 45.50 17
19 Desert Party Saeed bin Suroor Ramon A. Dominguez 15-1 14.80 14
20 Flying Private D. Wayne Lukas Robby Albarado 50-1 46.60 19

I Want Revenge was scratched on the morning of the race because of lameness issues in the colt's left front ankle.[11] In addition, Quality Road, who had been an early favorite,[12] was withdrawn from the race on April 27 because of a quarter crack in his right front hoof.[13]

Notable achievements

  • Longest winning margin since 1946 when Assault won by 8 lengths[4]
  • Calvin Borel is the first jockey since Jerry Bailey in 1993 to win the Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby in the same year. Borel won the Kentucky Oaks aboard Rachel Alexandra[4]
  • Mine That Bird is the first Sovereign Award as champion two-year-old colt (2008) in Canada to win the Kentucky Derby since Sunny's Halo (1983)[4]
  • Mine That Bird winning odds of 50.60-1 was the second highest in Kentucky Derby history after Donerail (1913)[4] now fourth highest winning odds.

Subsequent Grade I wins

Mine That Bird never won another race, though he did finish second in the Preakness to Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra[14] and third in the Belmont in the same year. Several other horses went on to achieve Grade I success:

  • General Quarters – Turf Classic Stakes in 2010.[15]
  • Summer Bird[16] – Belmont Stakes, Travers Stakes, Jockey Club Gold Cup

Mr. Hot Stuff never won another race on the flat, but did become a notable steeplechaser. He won the Grade I A. P. Smithwick Memorial Steeplechase Stakes in 2013 and the American Grand National Hurdle Stakes in 2014.[17]

Subsequent breeding careers

The most notable progeny of participants in the 2009 Derby are as follows.[18]

Pioneerof the Nile (2nd)

  • American Pharoah – 2015 Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, Belmont Stakes, Haskell Invitational, Breeders' Cup Classic
  • Classic Empire – Breeders' Cup Juvenile, Arkansas Derby. Second in Preakness Stakes
  • Midnight Storm – Shoemaker Mile

Chief Party Officer

Building on the longstanding tradition of drinking, partying, and general revelry in the infield, Churchill Downs officials announced that they are accepting applications to be the second "Chief Party Officer." According to Chief Marketing Officer Dave Tompkins, "The non-stop revelry can test the most die-hard partiers, so a CPO candidate must be able to take the reins and lead our infield nation to new heights of fun and frivolity."[19] In an effort to promote the position, Tim "Stymie" Snyder, the 2008 Chief Party Officer, attended Super Bowl XLIII to personally recruit applicants.[20] The winner was announced March 6, and prizes include use of an RV (billed as a "luxurious boardroom on wheels") for the year.[21] This year's Chief Party Officer is Nick Ferrara.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "Official Chart of 2009 Kentucky Derby" (PDF). Equibase. 2009-05-02. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 3, 2009. Retrieved 2009-05-02.
  2. ^ "Tourism society lists Kentucky events among top in Southeast". Business First. 2009-01-12. Retrieved 2009-02-09.
  3. ^ "2009 Kentucky Derby Preview: TV Schedule, Post Positions, and Odds". Midwest Sports Fan. 2009-04-30. Archived from the original on 4 May 2009. Retrieved 2009-05-02.
  4. ^ a b c d e Ed DeRosa and Mike Curry (2009-05-03). "Canadian champion wins American classic". Thoroughbred Times. Archived from the original on 2009-06-21. Retrieved 2009-05-03.
  5. ^ "Margins" (PDF). Churchill Downs Incorporated. 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-10-07. Retrieved 2015-11-15.
  6. ^ "Long-odds win in Kentucky Derby". BBC Sport. 2009-05-03. Archived from the original on 4 May 2009. Retrieved 2009-05-03.
  7. ^ Rees, Jennie (2009-02-10). "Kentucky Derby Future Wager opens Thursday". Louisville Courier-Journal. Archived from the original on 2012-07-28. Retrieved 2009-02-10.
  8. ^ McGee, Marty (2009-04-29). "I Want Revenge 3-1 Derby favorite". Daily Racing Form. Archived from the original on 4 May 2009. Retrieved 2009-04-29.
  9. ^ McGee, Marty (2009-04-29). "I Want Revenge 3-1 Derby favorite". Daily Racing Form. Archived from the original on 4 May 2009. Retrieved 2009-04-29.
  10. ^ The 2009 Kentucky Derby at the NTRA Archived April 30, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  11. ^ a b DeRosa, Ed (2009-05-02). "I Want Revenge scratched from Kentucky Derby". Thoroughbred Times. Archived from the original on 5 May 2009. Retrieved 2009-05-02.
  12. ^ Drape, Joe (2009-04-26). "Quality Road Remains Questionable for Derby". New York Times' The Rail blog. Retrieved 2009-08-25.
  13. ^ Drape, Joe (2009-04-27). "Quality Road Out of the Derby". New York Times' The Rail blog. Retrieved 2009-08-25.
  14. ^ "Mine That Bird". Equibase. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
  15. ^ "General Quarters". Equibase. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
  16. ^ "Summer Bird profile". Equibase. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
  17. ^ "Mr Hot Stuff". Equibase. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
  18. ^ Hunter, Avalyn. "American Classic Pedigrees Home". American Classic Pedigrees. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
  19. ^ "Churchill seeks Derby party officer". Business First. 2009-01-29. Retrieved 2009-02-09.
  20. ^ "Churchill seeking 2009 chief party officer". Thoroughbred Times. 2009-01-28. Archived from the original on 31 January 2009. Retrieved 2009-02-09.
  21. ^ "Party On". Louisville Courier-Journal. 2009-01-30. Archived from the original on 2013-01-19. Retrieved 2009-02-09.