Muddy track no problem for Rachel and Bird

Horseracing Betting Lines

06/28/2010 - Louisville, KY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A muddy racetrack at Churchill Downs proved no deterrent Monday morning for two of the best known thoroughbreds in training. Defending Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra and 2009 Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird worked out over an off track at the historic facility.

Rachel Alexandra, with Shaun Bridgmohan in the saddle, had her final workout before being sent to Saratoga by trainer Steve Asmussen. The four-year-old filly covered five-furlongs in 1:03 over sloppy footing. She galloped out six furlongs in 1:17.

"She handles it really well," Asmussen said. "She went good. We've got travel plans this week and want everything to go smoothly."

Asmussen will be sending the champion and others to historic Saratoga on Wednesday. The hot weather in Louisville convinced Asmussen to ship to upstate New York a week early.

"It's time," said Asmussen. "I'll be very happy when she's settled in there and we can get into our routine up there."

Owned by Stonestreet Stables and Harold McCormick, Rachel Alexandra got her win of the year on June 12 with a 10 1/2-length victory in the Fleur de Lis at Churchill Downs. After two second-place finishes to begin 2010 the filly looked like her old self in the 1 1/8-mile stakes.

Later Monday morning, Mine That Bird put in a workout over a muddy Churchill track. The gelding went five-furlongs in a very fast 59 4/5 seconds. This was his final workout before making his 2010 debut.

Calvin Borel, the four-year-old's regular jockey, had Mine That Bird gallop out six-furlongs in 1:14 3/5 with trainer D. Wayne Lukas watching.

"I told Calvin we needed to let him do it with no prompting today, just let him do it on his own," Lukas said. "I told him I'd like to see him finish up and if he'd get it in a minute to 1:01, that would be about right. Once I turned him loose and I rode over by the rail to see how deep it was, I thought 'If he does that, he's going to be really going good'. And then he goes 59- and-four.

"I couldn't be happier. Every step has been right down the line. I like the way that he's changing, mentally and physically. That's the big thing. We know he can run if everything's right. Physically, he's so much stronger, he might be 150 pounds heavier than he was last year. And mentally, he's really getting good."

Overnight rains caused the Churchill track to come sloppy as training began Monday morning. As the day progressed the track condition improved to muddy.

"He's just blossomed out," said Borel. "How good is he? I don't know, but we're going to find out. I think he's a good horse. I don't care what anybody says, he wasn't a fluke."

Mine That Bird, owned by Mark Allen and Dr. Leonard Blach, has not raced since finishing ninth to Zenyatta in the 2009 Breeders' Cup Classic. He could start in one of two races this weekend at Churchill: a 1 1/16-mile allowance race on Saturday or Sunday's $175,000 Firecracker Handicap at a mile on the turf, closing day of Churchill's 42-day Spring Meet.

"We'd like to start him here,' Lukas said. "I used that Firecracker as a back- up. I know he's never been on the turf. I really don't want to ship him. I have the Salvatore Mile (July 3) at Monmouth, but I'd like to just leave him in his own stall and try him. If he gets beat, this first one is a means to an end.

"We'll wait and see how the next two days look. I have no reason to believe he won't bounce back from this work. He does every one of them so easy. He has amazing efficiency of motion. I've had some pretty good horses that I thought could get over the ground. I don't know if any of them got over it lighter than he does."

Last week Lukas indicated that the Whitney Handicap on August 7 at Saratoga is the immediate goal for Mine That Bird.

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Pacific-10 Conference odds

Teams that should be in: Stanford

Oregon and USC get their tickets punched after taking care of business this weekend. Yes, the Trojans' computer numbers aren't great, but there's no way the third-place team in this league is getting nixed. Grudgingly, I added Arizona after consultation with our Bracketologist. I don't know that Arizona will lose its last three (including a Pac-10 quarterfinal game), and even if the Cats do, I still can't see how they'd be left out, given the overall profile. That said, it bears watching, as three more L's would leave them at 18-12 (9-9) and on a 6-11 skid entering the Dance. It would be nice to see the Wildcats get at least one W in the Bay Area next week, as Cincinnati (albeit without Armein Kirkland and with a worse profile) was axed after a similar slide last season. I just couldn't rationalize having some of the other teams as locks and not having Arizona in that category -- there just aren't enough good teams behind the Cats to threaten their spot, it seems. Stanford has its fate in its own hands with the Arizona schools coming to the Farm to close out the regular season next weekend.

Should be in:

Stanford [17-10 (9-7), RPI: 40, SOS: 21] No shame in not getting a win in L.A., but that makes the home game against Arizona State a must-win ahead of what could be an intriguing meeting with Arizona should the Cats lose at Cal. Getting to 11 Pac-10 wins would make Selection Sunday much more comfortable, but 10's probably more than enough this season. The Cardinal have nonconference wins over Texas Tech and at Virginia to lean on, although they also lost badly to Air Force and Santa Clara at home.

Southeastern Conference odds
Work left to do: Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Mississippi State

It looks more and more possible that no one from the SEC West will make the NCAAs. How weird is that? Tennessee and Vandy move into the locks category after more good work this weekend. Kentucky stays there, although it would be smart for the Cats to handle Georgia at home Wednesday ahead of a trip to the Swamp. Could a disaster scenario (two more L's and a first-round SEC tourney exit) somehow dislodge the Cats despite their incredible computer numbers? Still unlikely, but not worth chancing it.

Work left to do:

Alabama [19-9 (6-8), RPI: 43, SOS: 47] The tough L at Tennessee was understandable, and even created some hope. Unfortunately, that hope was dashed by a home loss to Auburn, which leaves the Tide in some real trouble. There's still no signature win on the profile (no, Kentucky doesn't count), and the computer profile is weakening rapidly. The Tide conceivably could beat Ole Miss and win at Miss. State to get to 8-8 and clinch at least a share of the West crown, but that's probably not enough right now. The Tide will need to do some work in the SEC tourney.

Georgia [16-10 (8-6), RPI: 52, SOS: 23] This is the team with the best chance to make it from this section right now. The Bulldogs rebounded from a terrible performance at Ole Miss to beat down Miss. State. Now they are at Kentucky (king of the RPI 51-100 win) and home to Tennessee. That would be worth a lot of computer points to get both (which is doable), as both teams are in the top 11 in RPI. Finishing at least 9-7 is an absolute must, and I would feel much better about the Dawgs' chances if they got both to get to 10 SEC wins. They also beat Gonzaga, but lost to ACC bubblers Georgia Tech and Clemson.

Mississippi [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 63, SOS: 79] Like everyone else in this division, Ole Miss gacked up a chance to stake a claim, losing by double figures at South Carolina. Even 9-7 likely is not nearly enough with a nonconference profile devoid of anything notable.

Mississippi State [16-11 (7-7), RPI: 66, SOS: 37] With a chance to get in the mix, these Bulldogs were leashed by their Georgia counterparts. Could they get to 9-7? I guess -- although winning at Arkansas, then beating Alabama is no lock -- but would that mean all that much for a team with this overall profile? Probably not. There's nothing of note (on the good side) in the nonconference profile.

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