Mike Smith won’t ride Mine That Bird in Belmont
May 19th, 2009
AP Racing WriterBy BETH HARRIS
LOS ANGELES (AP) -Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird is in need of yet another jockey.
Mike Smith, who rode the gelding to a second-place finish in Saturday’s Preakness Stakes, won’t ride him in the Belmont Stakes on June 6 because of a previous commitment.
Smith is already set to ride Madeo in the $300,000 Charles Whittingham Memorial Handicap at Hollywood Park that day.
The Hall of Fame rider is sticking with Madeo out of his loyalty to owners Jerry and Ann Moss and trainer John Shirreffs. Together, they won the 2005 Kentucky Derby on Giacomo, who like Mine That Bird, was a 50-1 long shot.
