Pair of birds eye BC Classic wins

ARCADIA, Calif. (AP) — A couple of birds look to close stellar years in this weekend’s $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic — Mine That Bird, who is winless since his big Kentucky Derby upset, and Summer Bird, the first horse since 1989 to sweep the Belmont, Travers and Jockey Club Gold Cup.

But they’re likely to be overshadowed by Zenyatta, if the undefeated mare runs against the boys in the Classic, as expected. That decision will be finalized Tuesday, when entries are due and the post-position draw is held.

Zenyatta is 13-0, including winning all four of her starts this year. She is the defending champion in the $2 million BC Ladies’ Classic.

“She’s a great mare. I said all along that I want to hook the softest bunch I can hook every time, so you hate to see her in there,” said Chip Woolley Jr., who trains Mine That Bird.

“At the same time, she’s got a lot of work to do. This is maybe the deepest Breeders’ Cup group you’ve seen in a long time. You throw her in the mix, it just makes it that much tougher.”

The 14-horse Classic field promises to be loaded with as many as 12 Grade 1 winners, including Ireland-bred turf specialist Rip Van Winkle, Jockey Club Gold Cup runner-up Quality Road, Arlington Million winner and turf runner Gio Ponti, Whitney Handicap winner Bullsbay, Hawthorne Gold Cup winner Awesome Gem, and Pacific Classic runner-up Einstein.

Mine That Bird is 0 for 4 since Calvin Borel’s rail-hugging ride to victory in the Kentucky Derby at 50-1 odds. Borel was aboard for two of those losses; Mike Smith rode in the other defeats.

“The horse had really dropped off on me and kind of gotten flat,” Woolley said Monday.

The 3-year-old gelding finished second to filly Rachel Alexandra in the Preakness, third behind winner Summer Bird in the Belmont, third in the West Virginia Derby and sixth in the Goodwood Stakes at Santa Anita three weeks ago, virtually dropping him off the radar.

“He’s been beaten his last two outs by far from the group that he’s going to run with Saturday, so you can understand that,” said Woolley, who points out that Mine That Bird will be running 1 1/4 miles in the Classic for the first time since he won at that distance on the first Saturday in May.

“That’s a big difference to him. He had legitimate chances in the Goodwood going another eighth-of-a-mile, he was closing fast, but the mile-and-a-quarter makes a big difference. It kind of changes the whole scheme of things.”

After the Goodwood on Santa Anita’s synthetic surface, Woolley said Mine That Bird blossomed, drawing the notice of Hall of Fame trainers Richard Mandella and Bob Baffert, who said the colt still deserves respect.

“He won the most important race of his career and it doesn’t matter what he does from here on out,” Baffert said. “He’ll run well. He looks good. He’s going to bring in a lot of people and everybody likes to see the Derby winner.”

Woolley is touting Summer Bird, who won the Belmont, then lost to sensational filly Rachel Alexandra in the Haskell before winning the Travers and Jockey Club Gold Cup.