Calvin Borel Changes Horses
Calvin Borel was everyone's darling last week. He won the Kentucky Derby on a 50-1 longshot. Mine That Bird was going try to win the Preakness as well. But Calvin Borel had different ideas. Rachel Alexandra, a filly, won the Kentucky Oaks by over 20 lengths. Her owners want to enter her in the Preakness. Calvin Borel rode her at the Oaks. He wants to ride her at the Preakness. Is this treason? Is Calvin Borel leaving Mine That Bird for greener pastures? He sure thinks so:
She's a once-in-a-lifetime horse
I have a problem with this. Borel is an incredible jockey, and Rachel Alexandra sounds like an incredible horse. But Borel has an obligation to Mine That Bird, to his trainer, to his owner. And while there are no contracts, something has to be said. If Rachel Alexandra wins, will we be celebrating the horse, or Borel? What if Mine That Bird wins? As a horse racing fan, you're used to seeing the same jockey on the same horse for these three important races. You get to learn their stories. You see a love affair between horse and jockey. But with Borel jumping ship, it seems like he's divorcing Mine That Bird. It seems that Borel is leaving for greener pastures at the first chance he gets. That jubilant display after winning? Maybe Borel was excited because he knew he was going to race Rachel Alexandra. How can we root for someone who is going to change when something better comes along? And as fans, shouldn't we do the same? If the jockeys (or athletes) are bandwagon jumpers ,why can't we be? Why do fans get criticized for becoming fans of the hot team, when, in reality, athletes do the same all the time. No one criticized Marian Hossa for joining the Red Wings after they won the cup. They praised him for going to a winner. Yet, when I tell a friend that I suddenly like the Suns because Shaq got traded, he laughed and called me a front runner.
I don't know the whole story. Maybe Borel knew Mine That Bird was a fluke, and he could never win again. Maybe he had an obligation before the Derby that if Rachel Alexandra was entered, he would change. Maybe everyone knew that. But I don't know. So I can only go on my gut. And my gut says Borel gave up the chance to make history, to go for the Triple Crown. As a rider, isn't that what you want? You wouldn't tell Kent Desormeaux to jump on Da'Tara before the Belmont because he knew Big Brown wasn't going to win. No. You go for history. You go for the Triple Crown. People, especially in these times, want great stories. Borel on Mine That Bird was a great story. The longshot winning is always a great story. But going from the longshot to the favorite? Not so much.
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