Derby Winner Primes for Preakness

(Edited press release)

Mine That Bird, winner of the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) for Double Eagle Ranch and Buena Suerte Equine, back-tracked to the paddock tunnel and then ‘loped’ once around a “fast” Churchill Downs main track Tuesday under exercise rider Charlie Figueroa before the renovation break.

Trainer Bennie “Chip” Woolley Jr. liked what he saw and said Mine That Bird would ‘lope’ around twice on Wednesday.

“The only reason we are staying here is because he is very comfortable here and training well,” Woolley said. “We will leave Monday or Tuesday (next week), probably Tuesday.  He may jog the morning we leave. I’d like to leave about 9:00 and get into Pimlico (for the May 16 Preakness, gr. I) around 7 that evening.”

The magnitude of the son of Birdstone   pulling off the second-largest mutual shocker ($103.20) still has not sunk in on Woolley.

“The whole thing is still a whirlwind,” Woolley said. “It is hard to get a grip on it that it really happened. Eventually you’ll get used to the fact that it really did happen.”