It's The Moment Of Truth For The Derby Surprise

Mine That Bird

"I do not mind that too much," Woolley said. "You know, my horse's form didn't say he could win the Derby; I will be the first to say that. But he passed 18 head of horses from the three-eighths pole to the wire that were all Grade I horses. So I don't know that it was a fluke. But I guess we'll find out."

We might not have even seen Mine That Bird's best yet, if you think about his breeding, co-owner Mark Allen said last week. The original plan was to be happy with whatever happened in the Derby but really focus him on the Belmont Stakes, the longest of the three Triple Crown races. In 2004, it was Birdstone, Mine That Bird's father, who upset Smarty Jones in the Belmont, running him down at the end.

Mine That Bird looked similar, a distance runner, not a sprinter. The plan was to just have fun at Churchill Downs, skip the Preakness, then take a shot at the Belmont. Then out of nowhere, Mine That Bird stunned everyone, even his owners and trainer, by winning the Derby.

"It's the biggest surprise I've seen in a race of that magnitude," Stevens said. "It just shows you that the game is full of surprises. If you think you've got it figured out, boom, it will slap you right in the mouth."