... Canada's 2yo champion male Mine That Bird (Birdstone), couldn't beat anything, and in the Mid-West Golden Rod winner ... he got Calvin Borel back. However it was redemption as Summer Bird (Birdstone) won the race giving Kent Desermoux his 1st Belmont win ... Warrior and Big Drama. It would be the start of an interesting summer for the Birdstone gelding, he was forced to miss the Travers due to a ...

... , but with a 12% Pick 3 why would anyone play the Pick 4? Studs of the Studs Birdstone has received the bulk of the breeding shed attention this year after siring both the Derby and the Belmont ... d'Oro (sire of Rachel Alexandra) that leads the pack of second crop sires with 58 winners to Birdstone's 27. Some other breeding notes: The Top 5 first crop sires for 2009 are Offlee Wild, Roman ...

... (and who had had a stellar career in Canada with rider Chantal Sutherland guiding him to a number of victories). And Summer Bird, the Belmont Stakes Winner of 2009. And yes, they have the same sire, Birdstone. The Preakness winner, Rachel Alexandra, with her historic win*, did not make the trip. Her owner and trainer did not want her running on the artificial surface of Santa Anita. Still, ...

... ; synthetic tracks to tell us what you hated about this race? Or about the day in general? What, because Summer Bird and Mine That Bird didn't take to the track? So? Progeny of Birdstone apparently don't take to the track - I'd think that's an angle you should be seeking ways to take advantage of instead of bitching about. Synthetics are another angle for your handicapping; a ...

There were times when Hall of Fame trainers Nick Zito and Bobby Frankel would rather spit in each other’s faces than shake hands. A few years back, Frankel said Zito’s Birdstone, who doused Smarty Jones’  Triple Crown bid in 2004 with a win in the Belmont Stakes,  would have had a hard time beating Smarty in

... year’s purse is $2.8 million. If the winners share is 60% in Japan like it is in the U.S. then Summer Bird would earn $1.68 for a win. I think the son of Birdstone will handle the track well. He is a very fast colt, and with his best race he should outclass the Japanese runners. However, he does have some things working against him. He will be racing in a foreign country for the first time ...

... a competitive fourth in the Breeders' Cup Classic as a three year old. Worth noting: none of these races are shorter than 10 furlongs. The careful handling of his chestnut son of Birdstone is worthy of the award alone, but if the handling and management of an elite horse is one of the leading criterion for this award, then Asmussen may have the best shot of them all. When handed Rachel ...

... leg while training at Hanshin race course Sunday morning in preparation for next Sunday’s Japan Cup Dirt. The injury is not life threatening but could end the racing career of the 3-year-old Birdstone colt, who captured the Grade 1 trio of the Belmont, Travers and Jockey Club Gold Cup and is the favorite to win an Eclipse Award as champion 3-year-old male. Summer Bird is owned ...

... Pistons end the Los Angeles Lakers' stranglehold on the NBA. Mary Kate Olsen enters rehab for an eating disorder. Bill Clinton's autobiography is released. Smarty Jones loses to Birdstone in the Belmont Stakes. Jack Ryan, the expected Republican contender against young State Senator Barack Obama, quits his Senate race after his actress wife reveals he took her to sex clubs. JULY The 9/ ...