Mine That Bird to be trained by Hall of Fame member

By: SPORTS NETWORK

Louisville, KY (Sports Network) - Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas has been named the new conditioner for 2009 Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird. Owners Leonard Blach and Mark Allen announced the decision on Wednesday.

The move to Lukas means that Mine That Bird will no longer be trained by Chip Woolley who saw the gelding through an historic three-year-old campaign. Mine That Bird is being vanned from New Mexico to Churchill Downs and will arrive in Louisville on Thursday.

Mine That Bird won last year's Run for the Roses as a 50-1 longshot with Calvin Borel riding. Two weeks later in the Preakness the gelding was ridden by Mike Smith. Borel rode Rachel Alexandra to victory, one-length better than the Derby champ.

Borel got back on Mine That Bird for the Belmont Stakes and finished third to Summer Bird.

He was third in the West Virginia Derby on August 1 of last year and then underwent throat surgery for an entrapped epiglottis. He was held out of the Travers at Saratoga while he recovered.

Mine That Bird was sixth in the Goodwood Stakes at Santa Anita as the 3-1 second choice in the 10 horse field. He closed 2009 with a ninth-place result behind Zenyatta in the Breeders' Cup Classic at Santa Anita.

Mine That Bird has five wins in 14 lifetime starts with earnings of nearly $2.2 million. In 2009 the gelding earned almost $1.9 million with one win in eight starts.