Calvin Barel on Mine That Bird

With this painting I wanted to capture the excitement of the Jockey, the horse, the outrider and the crowd. There is a lot of action in this painting and it reminds me of the feeling I had that day watching the race and cheering the outcome. Calvin Barel and Mine that Bird were quite a team!

50 to 1 longshot

This years Kentucky Derby winner ran the most excieting race I have watched in a long long time. The little know Birdstone gelding who cost $ 9,500 as a yearling and who came 1800 miles in a one horse trailer from New Mexico, negotiated the sloppy Churchill Dows ractrack under a deft rail skimming ride by jockey Calvin Borrel. Left in his wake were multimillion dollar priced horses owned by sheiks, captains of industry, large breeding operations,and their high profile Eclipse Award winning trainers. Trained by former rodeo performer Chip Wooley Jr. who hobbled into the winners circle on crutches because of a motorcycle wreck two months earlier,and who was widely criticized by the elite horsemen because it was inferred his little gelding did'nt belong in the race, MIne That Bird registered the second highest payoff in the history of the Kentucky Derby with his stunning $ 103.20 mutuel. What a race!!!