Mine That Bird WV-Bound

By The Editors

Churchill Downs reported this morning (via Twitter) that trainer Chip Woolley plans to send Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird, who returned to the track on Thursday for the first time since finishing third in the Belmont, to the August 1 West Virginia Derby at Mountaineer, then to the August 29 Travers at Saratoga. While that means there will be no Haskell rematch with Summer Bird, there is yet another reason to look forward to the Mid-Summer Derby.

Like Summer Bird, Mine That Bird’s year-end goal is the Breeders’ Cup Classic. But how he’ll get there after the Travers is uncertain. “The Breeders’ Cup is 10 weeks after the Travers,” said Woolley said. “He does not need an out on the Pro-Ride. He has been on the artificial and he won four in a row over the synthetic last year at Woodbine. I’d like to fly him in there two or three weeks before and have two breezes over the track, but we can sneak a race in there if we need it.”