ELMONT, New York (Reuters) - Calvin Borel rides Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird with a unique triple on the line in Saturday's 141st running of the Belmont Stakes, the last leg of thoroughbred racing's Triple Crown.
There have been 11 Triple Crown winners since Sir Barton swept the Derby, Preakness and Belmont races in 1919 but there has never been a jockey Triple Crown like Borel is chasing.
Borel, who steered filly Rachel Alexandra to victory in the Preakness, will be aiming for the first sweep of Triple Crown races by a jockey on two different horses when he climbs back on board Mine That Bird at Belmont Park.
Mine That Bird was a 50-1 outsider when he won at Churchill Downs. He followed up with second in the Preakness and is a 2-1 favorite for the mile and half Belmont race -- the longest test in the series for three year olds.
Charitable Man, who won the Peter Pan last month at Belmont, is second favorite at 3-1, followed by Dunkirk at 4-1 in the 10-horse field.
"I don't think anybody doubts him now," said Mine That Bird trainer Chip Woolley, having his first runner in the race. "He had a few doubters between the Derby and the Preakness but I think everybody is beyond that now."
Four-times Belmont winning trainer D. Wayne Lukas saddles Flying Private (12-1) and 20-1 shot Luv Gov, while twice winning trainer Nick Zito, whose Da'Tara last year foiled Big Brown's Triple Crown bid with a Belmont win, is running 15-1 shots Miner's Escape and Brave Victory.
"It's a game of experience, meaning trainers," Lukas said about running on the deep, sandy Belmont track.
"Nick has been here, this is his hometown, homecourt. I think that's a big factor here. I think some of these guys running in their first one they'll wake up Sunday and they'll have a new appreciation of this."
Lukas said he has grown to appreciate Mine That Bird but that the jury was still out on the gelding's greatness despite Borel's 'guarantee' that his horse would win Saturday.
"He did impress me in the Derby," Lukas told Reuters. "Then I wanted to see more in the Preakness and I waited and he did come running in the Preakness and he surprised us all again.
"So he's obviously a much better horse than we thought... and he's got efficiency of motion, got a rider that's confident as anybody in America right now.
"I think this will be the real test for him, to show that stamina one more time. He's had two tough ones. If he passes the test we'll have to stamp him as one of the real good ones."
(Editing by Justin Palmer)
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