by Tom Musgrave

Mine That Bird stretched his win streak to four when collaring pacesetter Bear's Conductor in late stretch to notch a half-length win in the $232,100 Grey Stakes (Can-G3) for two-year-olds on Sunday at Woodbine.

Bear's Conductor dictated a reserved pace, going a half-mile in :49.25 and six furlongs in 1:14.01 on Woodbine's all-weather Polytrack surface. Mine That Bird broke outward at the start, but jockey Chantal Sutherland soon took him in hand and kept her mount within striking distance of the leader heading into the first turn.

"Out of the gate, I think my horse got a little intimidated on the inside and was sharp," Sutherland said.

Sutherland maintained a stalking position with Mine That Bird to the far turn. Sutherland tried to maneuver to the inside of Bear's Conductor, but eased back before Mine That Bird engaged the pacesetter again on the turn.

Mine That Bird, sent off at odds of 6.25-to-1, moved off the rail in early stretch, poised for his winning rally, and edged Bear's Conductor at the wire while covering 1 1/16-miles in 1:44.55.

"On the turn when I came to [jockey Eurico Da Silva aboard Bear's Conductor], I wanted to push him because it was so easy for him on the lead and he went for it," Sutherland said. "I angled out. It worked out, but Bear's Conductor was tough to get by."

Stimulus Plan finished third, a half-length behind Bear's Conductor. Southern Exchange, the 3-to-5 favorite, was rank on the first turn, stalked the leaders, but flattened out in the stretch to finish last in the field of six.

The victory is the third straight stakes win, and fourth overall triumph, for Mine That Bird, who is trained by David Cotey, who co-owns the Birdstone gelding with Derek Ball, Dominion Bloodstock, and HGHR Inc.

Despite Mine That Bird’s success, Cotey said he is leaning toward not sending him to the Bessemer Trust Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) on October 25 at the Oak Tree meeting at Santa Anita Park.

"I'm still not getting over winning this yet," Cotey said after the Grey victory. "He's an awful nice horse. There are other places to go."

Mine That Bird has won four of five lifetime starts. The Grey Stakes win boosted his earnings to $304,381. Bred in Kentucky by Lamantia, Blackburn, and Needham/Betz Thoroughbreds, Mine That Bird is out of the Smart Strike mare Mining My Own.

For an Equibase chart, click here.

Tom Musgrave is internet content editor of Thoroughbred Times