Bennie L. "Chip" Woolley Jr. (born December 21, 1963, in

Raton, New Mexico Raton ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Colfax County, New Mexico, Colfax County in northeastern New Mexico, United States. The city is located just south of Raton Pass. The city is also located about 6.5 miles south of the New Mexico–Col ...

) is an American

Thoroughbred horse racing Thoroughbred racing is a sport and Horse industry, industry involving the Horse racing, racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport – flat racing and jump racing, the latter know ...

trainer best known for conditioning the 2009 winner of the

Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby () is an American Graded stakes race, Grade I stakes Thoroughbred racing, race run at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The race is run by three-year-old Thoroughbreds at a distance of . Colt (horse), Colts and geldin ...

. One of the five children of Ann and Bennie Woolley Sr., he grew up in

Dalhart, Texas Dalhart is a city in Dallam and Hartley counties in the U.S. state of Texas, and the county seat of Dallam County. The population was 8,447 at the 2020 census. History Founded in 1901, Dalhart is named for its location on the border of Dallam ...

, where his parents lived until 2019, when his father died and his mother moved to Amarillo, Texas. After graduating

high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...

he studied for two years at

Frank Phillips College Frank Phillips College, formerly Borger Junior College District, is a public community college in Borger, Texas. The college also manages the Allen Campus in Perryton in Ochiltree County, the Dalhart Center in Hartley County, and the Cosmeto ...

Borger, Texas Borger ( ) is the largest city in Hutchinson County, Texas, Hutchinson County, Texas, United States. The population was 12,551 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Borger is named for businessman Asa Philip "Ace" Borger, who also est ...

. At age twenty he moved back to New Mexico to pursue a career in the

horse racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance activity, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its bas ...

industry. An accomplished rider who often exercises his own horses, Chip Woolley has operated a public stable since 1991. Based at

Sunland Park Racetrack Sunland Park Racetrack & Casino is a racino located in Sunland Park, New Mexico, a suburb in southern New Mexico. Opened in 1959 as a Thoroughbred racing track, Sunland Park was the only legalized gambling venue in the region for many years. In ...

Sunland Park, New Mexico Sunland Park is a city in southeastern Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States, on the borders of Texas and the Mexico, Mexican state of Chihuahua (state), Chihuahua, with Ciudad Juárez adjoining it on the south and El Paso, Texas, on the ea ...

, he trains both

Quarter Horse The American Quarter Horse, or Quarter Horse, is an American breed of horse that excels at sprinting short distances. Its name is derived from its ability to outrun other horse breeds in races of or less; some have been clocked at speeds up to . ...

s and

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a list of horse breeds, horse breed developed for Thoroughbred racing, horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thorough ...

s for

flat racing Horse racing is an equestrianism, equestrian performance activity, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all spor ...

. In late 2008, the New Mexico racing partnership of Mark Allen (Double Eagle Ranch) and Dr. Leonard Blach (Buena Suerte Equine) turned over a

gelding A gelding (Help:IPA/English, /ˈɡɛldɪŋ/) is a castration, castrated male horse or other equine, such as a pony, donkey or a mule. The term is also used with certain other animals and livestock, such as domesticated Camelidae, camels. By compa ...

named

Mine That Bird Mine That Bird (foaled May 10, 2006) is a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 2009 Kentucky Derby at 50-1 odds and came second in the Preakness Stakes and third in the Belmont Stakes. He had earnings of $2,228,637 and was inducte ...

to the care of Chip Woolley. The horse had won four straight races in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

but ran last in the October 25

Breeders' Cup Juvenile The Breeders' Cup Juvenile is a Thoroughbred horse race for 2-year-old colts and geldings raced on dirt. It is held annually in late October or early November at a different racetrack in the United States or Canada as part of the Breeders' Cup W ...

in his debut for his new American owners. Making his debut for Woolley on February 28, 2009, Mine That Bird finished second in the Borderland Derby and on March 29 had a fourth-place finish in the Sunland Derby. However, based on his career earnings in

graded stakes race A graded stakes race is a thoroughbred horse race in the United States that meets the criteria of the American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA). A specific grade level (I, II, III or listed) is th ...

s, he qualified as one of the twenty Kentucky Derby starters. Trainer Chip Woolley loaded Mine That Bird into a

horse trailer A horse trailer or horse van (also called a horse float in Australia and New Zealand or horsebox in the British Isles) is used to transport horses. There are many different designs, ranging in size from small units capable of holding two or thre ...

attached to a 2008

Ford F-450 The Ford Super Duty (also known as the Ford F-Series Super Duty) is a series of heavy-duty pickup trucks produced by the Ford Motor Company since the 1999 model year. Slotted above the consumer-oriented Ford Ford F-Series, F-150, the Super Duty ...

pickup truck A pickup truck or pickup is a Truck_classification#Table_of_US_GVWR_classifications, light or medium duty truck that has an enclosed cabin (truck), cabin, and a back end made up of a cargo bed that is enclosed by three low walls with no roof (th ...

, and drove 1,700 miles over 21 hours from New Mexico to get to the big race. Under jockey

Calvin Borel Calvin H. Borel (born November 7, 1966) is an American jockey in thoroughbred horse racing and rode the victorious mount in the 2007 Kentucky Derby, the 2009 Kentucky Derby and the 2010 Kentucky Derby. His 2009 Derby win with Mine That Bird w ...

, Mine That Bird won the Kentucky Derby, instantly making Chip Woolley one of the most talked about racing personalities in America. The horse was then loaded into his trailer and driven by Woolley to

Pimlico Race Course Pimlico Race Course is a thoroughbred horse racetrack in Baltimore, Maryland, most famous for hosting the Preakness Stakes. Its name is derived from the 1660s when English settlers named the area where the facility currently stands in honor of O ...

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the List of United States ...

. Under jockey Mike Smith, Mine That Bird came from last through difficult traffic to earn a second-place finish in the

Preakness Stakes The Preakness Stakes is an American thoroughbred horse race held annually on Armed Forces Day, the third Saturday in May at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland (except in 2026 when it will move to Laurel Park (race track), Laurel Park dur ...

. Following the race, Chip Woolley announced that the horse's owners would be sending him to

Belmont Park Belmont Park is a thoroughbred racing, thoroughbred horse racetrack in Elmont, New York, just east of New York City limits best known for hosting the Belmont Stakes, the final leg of the American Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (United Stat ...

Elmont, New York Elmont is an unincorporated Hamlet (New York), hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) located in northwestern Hempstead, New York, Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, Nassau County, New York, United States, along its border with the borough ...

, for the third leg of the U.S. Triple Crown series, the

Belmont Stakes The Belmont Stakes is an American Graded stakes race, Grade I stakes Thoroughbred racing, race for three-year-old Thoroughbreds run at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is run over the worldwide classic distance of . Colt (horseracing), Colt ...

, where he placed third. In 2011, a book was published on him in French and English.

References

May 02, 2009 ''Pal Beach Post'' article on Chip Woolley

May 3, 2009 Louisville Courier-Journal article on Chip Woolley titled ''Suddenly tall in the saddle''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Woolley, Benny L. Jr. 1963 births Living people American racehorse trainers People from Raton, New Mexico People from Dalhart, Texas