of horses was running down the backstretch, Mine That Bird was so far back that NBC's announcer Tom Durkin at first missed seeing him. Calvin Borel, using the ground-saving, rail-skimming riding technique that won him the 2007 Derby with Street Sense, charged past horses along the backstretch and at the turn for home moved into contention. Borel kept Mine That Bird on the rail, leaving it to go around just one tiring horse before ducking back onto the rail, where he exploded past Pioneerof the Nile and Musket Man so fast on the inside that Durkin, who was focused on the other two horses, did not see "Bird" come through until he was already three lengths in the lead. Mine That Bird pulled away to win by 6 lengths for the longest margin of victory in over 60 years. He ran the Derby's mile-and-a-quarter distance in 2 minutes 2.66 seconds. A two-dollar win wager returned $103.20, making Mine That Bird tied with Giacomo for the fourth-biggest upset winner in Kentucky Derby history, behind 91-1 longshot Donerail in 1913, 80-1 victor Rich Strike in 2022, and 65-1 winner Country House in 2019. Mine That Bird had the third longest odds in the 19-horse field, with only Atomic Rain (55-1) and Join in the Dance (51-1) being higher. 2009 Preakness Stakes The day after his Derby win, Mine That Bird's connections were uncertain if they would come back two weeks later and try for the Preakness Stakes. They planned to wait and assess the horse's condition first. Co-owner Mark Allen said, "The plan was that if he showed something here, to skip the Preakness and go to the Belmont, like his dad." His sire Birdstone won the Belmont Stakes in 2004, suggesting that Mine That Bird's breeding is for longer distances. Trainer Chip Woolley was concerned that the Preakness tends to have a quick pace that might not benefit his horse as much as the Belmont. It was announced on May 4, 2009, on ESPN that Mine That Bird would run in the Preakness. Borel opted to ride his regular mount, the filly Rachel Alexandra, in the Preakness. Rachel Alexandra had won the Kentucky Oaks by 20 lengths with Borel aboard and was the favorite in the Preakness. The mount on Mine That Bird went to Mike Smith. Mine That Bird finished second, a length behind Rachel Alexandra. As with the Derby,