Borel Guarantees Gambling on Mine That Bird Will Pay

Jockey Calvin Borel says Mine That Bird will take first place at this week's Belmont Stakes, gambling that the little horse can once again outlast the field.

The Belmont Stakes will be run for the 141st time Saturday, and jockey Calvin Borel says his horse will outlast the field to win its second race in the Triple Crown series. Borel thinks Mine That Bird will beat the other nine horses, now that Rachel Alexandra has been refused entry by her owners.

Mine That Bird is the early favorite at 2-1. The horse has shown a knack for passing competitors after ceding an early lead, coming from all the way back to win the Kentucky Derby and finish second in the Preakness.

The Belmont lends itself to that style moreso than the first two Triple Crown legs, being the longest race at a mile and a half.

Borel is back aboard Mine That Bird, his Derby horse, after riding Rachel Alexandra in the Preakness. The filly's victory in Baltimore gives Borel a chance to make history as the first jockey to win all three Triple Crown races without the horse also doing so.

When asked if he considered not letting Borel remount Bird after he left the team for Alexandra, Bird trainer Chip Wooley simply said, "He won us a Derby."

Bird had been a mostly unknown 50-1 longshot before Borel's daring Derby ride, squeezing through tiny gaps to pass every horse running.

"We're going to win it, no questions asked," Borel said when asked about Bird's prospects Saturday.