| Calvin Borel |
 |
| Occupation: |
Jockey |
| Birthplace: |
St. Martin Parish, Louisiana, United States |
| Birth date: |
November 7, 1966 (1966-11-07) (age 42) |
| Career wins: |
4,788 (thru September 12, 2009) |
| Major Racing Wins & Honours & Awards |
| Major Racing Wins |
Super Derby (1991)
Arkansas Derby (1993)
Falls City Handicap
(1996, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2008)
Apple Blossom Handicap (1997, 2001)
Fleur de Lis Handicap (1997, 2009)
Essex Handicap (1998, 2007)
Clark Handicap (1999)
Kentucky Cup Classic Handicap (1999)
Bashford Manor Stakes (2000, 2008)
Oaklawn Handicap (2000)
Bourbon Stakes (2002)
Silverbulletday Stakes (2003)
Ack Ack Handicap (2004)
Stephen Foster Handicap (2006)
Tampa Bay Derby (2007)
Travers Stakes (2007)
Razorback Breeders' Cup Handicap (2008)
Golden Rod Stakes (2002,2008)
Hal's Hope Handicap (2009)
Fair Grounds Oaks (2009)
Fantasy Stakes (2009)
Kentucky Oaks (2009)
Louisville Stakes (2009)
Haskell Invitational (2009)
American Classics / Breeders' Cup wins:
Breeders' Cup Juvenile (2006)
Kentucky Derby (2007, 2009)
Preakness Stakes (2009)
|
| Significant Horses |
Seek Gold, Street Sense, Delightful Kiss
Rachel Alexandra, Mine That Bird, Brass Hat,
Miss Isella |
Calvin H. Borel (born in St. Martin Parish, Louisiana) is an American jockey in thoroughbred horse racing and rode the victorious mount in both the 2007 Kentucky Derby and 2009 Kentucky Derby. His latter win with Mine That Bird was the second biggest upset in Derby history behind Donerail, and Borel's winning margin of 6 3/4 lengths was the greatest in Derby history since Assault won by 8 lengths in 1946. On May 1, 2009, Borel won the Kentucky Oaks aboard Rachel Alexandra, only the second time since 1993 that a jockey has won the Oaks-Derby combo and just the seventh jockey overall to accomplish this feat in the same year. [1] On May 16, 2009, Borel won the 2009 Preakness Stakes at Pimlico with Thoroughbred filly Rachel Alexandra. In doing so, Borel became the first jockey to win the first two jewels of the Triple Crown on different mounts.
Biography
Calvin Borel hails from south Louisiana, the heart of Cajun Country and famous for its production of many top jockeys during the last twenty years. Like Randy Romero, Kent Desormeaux, and Shane Sellers, Borel began racing horses in the bush tracks near his hometown of Catahoula. Borel began riding in match races at the age of eight.[citation needed] Calvin is known for his Cajun accent and bubbly and emotional personality, both of which were on full display during his post-victory interview after both Kentucky Derby wins.
Calvin Borel's older brother, Cecil, had a brief career as a thoroughbred jockey but was not able to maintain his weight. He turned to training horses at Delta Downs in Vinton, Louisiana. Calvin would later begin his professional riding career at Delta Downs.
Over a career that has spanned 25 years, Borel has become known for his tireless work ethic as well as an ability to slip up the rail to save ground; his colleagues and racing fans therefore frequently refer to him as "Calvin Bo-rail".[2][3]
Borel is 5 ft 4 in (1.63 m) and 116 pounds (53 kg). He lives in Louisville, Kentucky with his fiancée, Lisa Funk.
Borel's first significant career win came in the 2007 Kentucky Derby aboard Street Sense, guiding the colt to a 2 & 1/4 length victory over Hard Spun. He then had a close second place finish in the Preakness Stakes to Curlin.
His riding career began to surge forward in June of 2006 when he won the $750,000 Stephen Foster Handicap at Churchill Downs with 91–1 longshot Seek Gold, getting up in the final stride to win by a nose over Perfect Drift, paying $185.40 to win.
On July 5, 2007, Borel became the sixth jockey in the history of Churchill Downs to win six races on a single race card. With his victory in the July 5, 2008 Bashford Manor Stakes, Calvin Borel became the thirty-fourth jockey in North American Thoroughbred racing history to win 4,500 races.[4]
May 2, 2009 saw Borel win the Kentucky Derby on Mine That Bird, a 50–1 long shot, a day after winning the Kentucky Oaks aboard favorite Rachel Alexandra. It was only the second time since 1993 that a jockey has won the Oaks-Derby combo and just the seventh jockey overall to accomplish this feat in the same year.[5]
On May 16, 2009 Borel won the Preakness Stakes on Rachel Alexandra (after that horse was sold following the Derby). This accomplishment marked the first time that a jockey won the first two legs of the Triple Crown on different horses, and Borel could have become the first jockey since Steve Cauthen to win the Triple Crown in 1978 with a win in the Belmont. A win would have made him only the second individual to win the Triple Crown by sweeping the races in a year with different horses (D. Wayne Lukas, a trainer, in 1995). However, on June 6th, 2009, Calvin Borel finished 3rd on Mine That Bird in the Belmont Stakes, failing to accomplish a Jockey Triple Crown.
On June 27, 2009 he guided Rachel Alexandra to a 19 1/4 victory in the Mother Goose Stakes at Belmont Park, setting a new stakes record.
Riding titles
References
- ^ http://www.kentucky.com/232/story/784501.html
- ^ http://www.ntra.com/stats_bios.aspx?id=21093
- ^ http://www.kentuckyderby.com/2009/news/2009/01/24/beethoven-breezes-holy-bull
- ^ http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/horse/news/story?id=3474800
- ^ http://www.kentucky.com/232/story/784501.html
External links
