Giant Killers: Calvin Borel and Mine That Bird

Horse racing, specifically the only loss of legendary Man-O-War to a pony named Upset, made the word a moniker for the underdog, the giant killer, slaying the heavy favorite.

Giant killing is an ancient hobby.

In the ancient Iliad, King Nestor brags how as a gangly youth he laid the club wielding, angry Arcadian giant Ereuthalion low.

Biblical David with that trusty sling shot fired a fast ball blast that blew away big boy Goliath's bullying brain.

Even old Thor, the Norse Thunder God, had a thing for smashing around angry Frost Giants. Then Thor's roar always indicated that he wasn't exactly a push over. Thor, on his worst day, was never 50-1 against anyone.

When Upset notched his win over Man-O-War he was damn lucky. The big horse Man-O -War had a very bad trip from a jock that kept jamming the hard charging horse up behind blocking horses. 

Sometimes its better to be lucky then good.

It's always good to be both lucky and good.

Jockey Calvin Boreal was both at the Derby.

His rail running mudtrip was amazing. His second Derby long shot win in two years will put the Cajun in the Horse Racing Hall of fame.

And deservedly so. He brought that Bird hard along the rail. Hall of fame trainer Bob Baffert said he thought his horse Pioneer of the Nile had the race locked up.

Baffert admitted he had dreams of the Triple Crown. Baffert felt his Nile horse was that good. Then Baffert noticed Borel and the Bird blasting and weaving his way through horses.

Baffert saw the Bird hit the rail furious and fast, flinging the wet Kentucky clay hard and high, and Borel began to sense that it was his and the hard charging rail Birds day.

Baffert's belly dropped.

The Bird's head dropped. Borel and the Bird had the rail. Borel and the Bird were on a roll.

Borel and the Bird were running that rail. They were running that rail like a mud covered, mad locomotive.

In the cold Kentucky rain, rail birds were humming bird, bird, bird is the word.

The Bird had been driven from New Mexico to Kentucky. Twenty-one hours the Bird had traveled from the small tracks of Billy the Kid country in a pickup truck trailer pulled by his trainer to Old Kentucky.

Now this 50-to-1 Bird had flown.

Past the Sheik's UAE ponies bought for millions.

Past the Egyptian Sheik owned Baffert trained Pioneer of the Nile.

Past the British billionaires' million dollar horse toy Dunkirk.

Past the put out favorite Freisan Fire.

Past the pedigrees.

Past the pretty ladies in thousand-dollar hats and the million-dollar men in luxury booths.

Past the finish line leaving those who might be giants in the mud behind.

And into horse racing history with the perhaps the greatest upset in Derby history and the biggest margin of victory since 1946

The Cajun jockey laughed. The Cajun cried. The Cajun grinned. The Cajun swamp howled. The Cajun was happy.

And why not? Cause the Cajun, who has been horse riding since the age of eight, was a giant killer.

Calvin "Bo-rail" was king of Kentucky.

Again.

The Cajun didn't need a slingshot. He didn't need a sword nor Thor's roar.

No, the Cajun had killed these giants with a rail.

Again.