Horse owner revels in Derby victory

ROSWELL, N.M. (KRQE-KBIM) - As Mine That Bird prepares in Louisville for the next leg of the Triple Crown, one of his owners is back home in New Mexico.

Dr. Leonard Blach runs a horse clinic in Roswell and said he still can't believe his horse beat the 50-1 odds at the Kentucky Derby on Saturday.

Now that Blach is back home, he said he's returning all the calls he got congratulating him on the big win.

He said that every once in a while he has to pinch himself.

Blach has been breeding and racing horses for dozens of years. He and Mark Allen, who also is from Roswell, are co-owners of Mine That Bird.

He said he never thought Mine That Bird had a chance and described just going to the Derby is an experience of a lifetime on its own. Winning has been one of the great moments in his life, he said.

Most of all Blach said he was happy to compete with some of the biggest names in horse racing.

"We outrun those guys and did it handily and did it honestly," Blach said. "Just a couple of rednecks from New Mexico come out there and beat them.

"They were actually happy for us, real happy, and that made us feel good."

Now many people have asked if it is true that Blach didn't bet on his horse. The answer is yes.

Blach said he never bets on a horse he puts into a race. If he wins the purse, he wins the purse, he added.

The winner's purse in the Kentucky Derby came in at $1.42 million.

Mine That Bird will be one of 14 horses in the field for the Preakness on May 16.