Willie Shoemaker came the closest to winning the Triple Crown on two different horses in 1959. He won the Kentucky Derby on Tomy Lee (above photo, inside rail), just winning in one of the most exciting finishes ever. Then, at the Preakness, he was aboard Sword Dancer for a second place finish. At the Belmont, again on Sword Dancer, he won. This got me wondering whether Sword Dancer was in the Derby so I looked it up. Guess who got second in that exciting finish above? Sword Dancer!
So, in 1959 Sword Dancer was edged out at the wire in the Derby, was second in the Preakness, and first in the Belmont.... The question is: Is Mine That Bird a Sword Dancer? Does he have the heart and the stamina to be the strongest on Saturday, in spite of having raced the toughest races in the last month and a half?
Another comparison. From the above photo, you can see that Sword Dancer was not a huge horse. Neither is Mine That Bird.
No comments:
Post a Comment