When Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird goes to the gate in the Grade 2 $750,000 West Virginia Derby on Aug. 1, he'll have a different rider on his back.

The annoucement was made today by the connections of MTB, who have grown tired of the waiting game being played by jockey Calvin Borel and agent Jerry Hissam. No decision has been reached on a replacement.

Borel rode MTB to a monumental upset in the Derby, but then took off to ride filly Rachel Alexandra in the Preakness two weeks later. MTB wound up second with subsitute rider (and Hall of Famer) Mike Smith aboard.

Questions were raised again prior to the Belmont, a race Smith had to miss with commitments in California. When Rachel's people decided to sit it out, Borel was given another chance on MTB. After a premature move on the turn, they wound up third.

Hissam was unable to commit Borel to the WV Derby because Borel is also the regular rider of Warrior's Reward, who is running in Saturday's Dwyer at Belmont Park. Trainer Ian Wilkes plans to go from there to the Jim Dandy at Saratoga Race Course ( and hopefully the Travers), also on Aug. 1.

"It's just the lack of commitment and nothing else," trainer Bennie "Chip" Woolley told the Louisville (Ky) Courier-Joural, which broke the story. "Calvin did us a great job. We love him. We have no ill feelings of any kind. It's just that he's in the unique position of having a lot of options.

"We want a rider where we're first on his list for a particular horse. That's just the bottom line. We're not going to accept that every time we run we have to wait and see if we're going to have our rider. We're not going to accept that any more."

Woolley and co-owners Mark Allen and Dr. Leonard Blach want a rider to commit to MTB through the Nov. 7 Breeders' Cup Classic. They have a few in mind, including Smith.

If all goes well, MTB will run in the $1 million Travers and then the BC Classic. Rachel Alexandra has not been ruled out of facing boys again in the Travers, which further complicates Borel's status.