Baltimore ? A few minutes after jockey Mike Smith dismounted Mine That Bird, trainer Chip Woolley balanced himself on his crutches and gave the Hall of Fame rider a big hug.

“Thanks a lot, you did a good job,” Woolley said. “He just couldn’t get there.”

Long shot Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird fell a length short of catching sensational filly Rachel Alexandra in the Preakness Stakes on Saturday, ending the chance of a Triple Crown attempt in the Belmont Stakes on June 6.

Sent off as the 6-1 third choice in the field of 13, Mine That Bird did not get the last-to-first, rail-hugging ride Borel gave him in the Derby. But Smith had the 3-year-old gelding poised to make a move on the turn before being forced wide by the rest of the pack.

Still, the surprising Derby winner looked as if he just might catch the filly.