Mine That Bird Favorite for West Virginia Derby

Mine That Bird is looking good. (AP Images)"]

Shocking Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird will start in the West Virginia Derby on Saturday in a bid for the $750,000 purse. Mine That Bird will become the first Derby winner to ever run in the 1 1/8 mile Mountaineer Park race, which has a field of six three-year-olds. This will be his first start since the Triple Crown series ended with a rough defeat. After being pegged the favorite to win the Belmont Stakes, surprising longshot Summer Bird took the final jewel of the Triple Crown along with jockey Kent Desormeaux.

"After the Belmont, we took a good look around the country, with the idea of finding the best spot," Mine That Bird's trainer Chip Woolley said. "And we thought that it would be Mountaineer. I studied this very hard. We do want a fast racetrack, but we also need one that a horse can close over. That's our main focus."

The three-year-old will be ridden by Mike Smith from post two. Get all your West Virgina Derby odds in the Bodog Racebook before Saturday's big race!