When Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird makes his next start in the $750,000 West Virginia Derby on Aug. 1, the gelding will again be hooking up with a new face in the irons.

Doesn’t anyone want to ride this guy?

Calvin Borel took off the Derby winner to ride Rachel Alexandra in the Preakness Stakes, a move that panned out quite nicely.

Hall of fame jockey Mike Smith picked up the ride on Mine That Bird in the Preakness, but elected to stay in Southern California instead of riding the gelding back in the Belmont Stakes.

Borel was back on board for the Belmont Stakes, but a commitment to ride Warrior’s Reward in the $500,000 Jim Dandy Stakes for trainer Ian Wilkes has the connections of the Derby winner looking for yet another jockey.

The Jim Dandy is scheduled the same day as the West Virginia Derby.

Mark Allen, the owner of Mine That Bird, was willing to wait for Borel and his agent to make a decision before the Belmont Stakes, but did not have the same patience for the upcoming race.

Before Borel and his agent Jerry Hissam could make a final commitment, Allen announced that Mine That Bird would have a new jockey for his next race.

Smith would seem to be the logical choice to get the mount, but not much has been logical this spring when it comes to jockey musical chairs.

Mine That Bird trainer Chip Woolley would prefer to get a jockey who can commit to riding the Derby winner for the remainder of the year, something Smith may not be able to do.

The jockey is committed to ride Zenyatta, who possibly could be entered in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, which is the goal for the connections of Mine That Bird.

Would Allen and Woolley go back to Borel if he does not have a ride in the Breeders’ Cup Classic later this fall?

Stay tuned.

Don’t Look for Ladies Day
No sooner had I written Monday’s column stating I thought that the Rachel Alexandra-Zenyatta meeting would happen, Zenyatta’s owner Jerry Moss put a kibosh on the proceedings.

Moss said on Sunday that shipping his undefeated mare to New York this summer was a possibility.

Saratoga’s $300,000 Go for Wand (G1) on August 2 or the $400,000 Personal Ensign (G1) at 1 ¼ miles on August 30 looked like options where the two superstar females could have a showdown.

Now Moss appears likely to keep the mare in Southern California and point her toward the same set of races as last year: the Clement Hirsch (G2), the Lady Secret (G1), followed by the Breeders’ Cup Ladies Classic (G1).

Moss could take on the boys in the Breeders’ Cup Classic instead of the Ladies Classic, with one of those races her final career start before being sent to the breeding shed.

Moss has been quoted as saying he might want to meet up with Rachel Alexandra after the Breeders’ Cup, but that certainly seems unlikely.

While it looked like the two would meet up at some point this year on Monday, now it appears like the showdown is not going to happen.

However, that is subject to change by the weekend. Or maybe even tomorrow.

Douglas Posts on Facebook
Jockey Rene Douglas was severely injured in a spill on May 23 at Arlington Park, suffering injuries to his spinal cord.

On his Facebook page, Douglas recently wrote:

“I want to thank you for all your support, your prayers and all your messages. I've been trying to read all of your posts and little by little I will catch up.

“I've been trying to start therapy but I've had a few issues with my lungs and that has prevented me from starting rehab in full. I'm getting stronger every day with the help of my family and friends and I will give my best once I go back to rehab.

“The road ahead of me will be long and hard but I'm ready to face it and to do the best I can to complete it and to achieve the best results possible.

“I would love to thank each one of you personally, but if I did that I wouldn't have enough time to do therapy. Just know that I appreciate it and that your support inspires me everyday to continue and to give my all.

With Love,
Rene Douglas”

Let’s hope for a speedy recovery for Douglas and our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family.