Leparoux edges Borel to take Churchill jockey title

Fans packed the stands to make 'Downs After Dark' a success (Reed Palmer Photography/Churchill Downs) Jockey Julien Leparoux rode 62 winners to capture the riding title as Churchill Downs concluded its 135th spring meet on Sunday in Louisville, Kentucky. Leparoux edged reigning Kentucky Derby (G1)-winning jockey Calvin Borel by a single victory, the second time in three years that Leparoux edged Borel by a single win for the spring meet title. Borel rode three winners on the meet's final day but fell just short of catching the absent Leparoux, who was in California to ride Edgewood S. runner-up Magical Affair (Giant's Causeway) in the American Oaks Invitational (G1) at Hollywood Park. Despite not taking home the jockey title, Borel added another Kentucky Derby trophy to his mantle after piloting 50-1 longshot MINE THAT BIRD (Birdstone) to victory in the Run for the Roses on May 2. In front of a crowd of 153,563, the seventh-largest crowd in Kentucky Derby history, Borel and Mine That Bird trailed 18 horses after three-quarters of a mile. Riding next to the rail as he had done in the 2007 Kentucky Derby with Street Sense, Borel and Mine That Bird began passing horses in a blur. At the top of the stretch, Mine That Bird moved around Atomic Rain (Smart Strike) and darted back to the rail. At the eighth-pole, Mine That Bird squeezed through a narrow opening between the rail and Join in the Dance (Sky Mesa) and drew off to a 6 3/4-length victory over Pioneerof the Nile (Empire Maker). Mine That Bird covered the 1 1/4 miles in 2:02.66 over a sloppy track.

Sent off as the third-longest price in the field of 19, Mine That Bird paid

$103.20 to win, the second-largest payoff in Kentucky Derby history. The 6

3/4-length margin of victory was the largest in the Derby since 1946 when

Assault won by eight lengths.

Despite the near-historic victory margin posted by Mine That Bird, it paled

in comparison to what had transpired in the Kentucky Oaks (G1) the day before.

RACHEL ALEXANDRA (Medaglia d'Oro) dazzled a crowd of

104,867 by winning the 135th running of the Kentucky Oaks by a record 20 1/4

lengths. Borel sat motionless on the filly's back as she effortlessly expanded

her advantage in completing the 1 1/8 miles in 1:48.87 over a fast track.

Borel became the first jockey since 1993 and seventh in history to sweep the

Oaks and the Derby in the same year.

The 135th running of the Kentucky Oaks marked the first year of a fundraising

partnership with Susan G. Komen for the Cure, the world's largest breast cancer

fundraising and outreach organization. As part of that fundraising partnership,

Churchill Downs presented Susan G. Komen for the Cure with a donation of

$100,000 for breast cancer research, and another $30,000 was presented to

"Horses and Hope," a breast cancer outreach initiative launched by Kentucky

First Lady Jane Beshear that is focused on providing breast cancer education and

screening to workers in Kentucky's horse industry.

History of another kind was made during the spring meet on June 19 when

Churchill Downs conducted its first night racing program. The 11-race program

began with a first post of 6 p.m. (EDT) and attracted a crowd of 28,011. Two

other "Downs After Dark" programs were offered with the June 26 card drawing

27,623 to Churchill Downs and the July 2 program drawing 34,481 for a

three-night total of 89,115 under the temporary lights.

In addition to Mine That Bird and Rachel Alexandra, other Grade 1 winners at

the meet were INFORMED DECISION (Monarchos) in the Humana

Distaff, EINSTEIN (Brz) (Spend a Buck) in the Woodford

Reserve Turf Classic and MACHO AGAIN (Macho Uno) in

the Stephen Foster.

Robby Albarado won his third consecutive Stephen Foster when he rallied Macho

Again from last to deny Einstein's bid to become the first horse to win three

consecutive Grade 1 races on different surfaces (dirt, turf and synthetic).

Borel and Albarado both reached riding milestones during the meet.

On May 14, Borel became the fourth rider to reach 900 victories at Churchill

Downs with his win aboard War Eagle Lady (War Chant). On June 12, Borel got

Churchill Downs victory No. 926 aboard Smoke Trail (Awesome Again) to move him

past Don Brumfield into second-place all time behind Pat Day's record 2,482.

Albarado became the sixth rider to reach 800 victories at Churchill Downs

when he won aboard La Mousse (Arg) (Vision and Verse) on April 30. A month

later, his victory aboard Keertana (Johar) was the 4,000th of his career, making

him the 57th North American-based rider to reach that plateau.

Steve Asmussen won his sixth leading trainer title at Churchill when closing

out the meet with 29 victories. Asmussen's title was his third in the spring to

go with 2004 and 2007. He also won fall titles in 2001, 2004 and 2007.

Mike Maker, the leading trainer of the 2008 fall meet finished second with 18

wins, one more than Greg Foley and two more than 2008 spring meet training

champion Tom Amoss.

Four trainers achieved their 300th career victories at Churchill Downs to

boost the number to 12 at that plateau in track history. McGlamery Road (Line in

the Sand) gave Amoss his 300th on May 14; Action Seeker (Forest Camp) accounted

for No. 300 for Lynn Whiting on May 29; Citizen John (Proud Citizen) on June 12

was Dave Vance's 300th winner; and the triumph on June 25 by Izzy Ali (Champali)

was No. 300 for Foley.

Ken and Sarah Ramsey won their record 15th leading owner title and fourth in

a row as their stable posted 18 victories. The Ramseys have won eight spring

titles and seven in the fall.

The Churchill Downs fall meet begins November 1 and runs through November 28.