Stop, thief! ... No, not the filly, the other guy ...

Talk about a run of bad luck with thieves. First Rachel Alexandra steals the Preakness and a potential Triple Crown from Mine That Bird, and now somebody steals the darned horse's papers.

The Blood-Horse reports that trainer Bennie Woolley Jr. awoke Tuesday at his hotel in Louisville, Ky., to find that his pickup truck -- the one with which he hauled Mine That Bird all the way from New Mexico's Sunland Park to victory at Churchill Downs (well, the horse ran the last 10 furlongs) had been burglarized overnight. A thief smashed out the passenger side window, stole the GPS that pointed Mine That Bird from Sunland to the site of his Kentucky Derby win (Calvin Borel directed the last 10 furlongs), and, in the process, also stole the little gelding's papers.

An interesting collector's item, I suppose. But could be tough to fence.

Since a horse can't race without official papers on file at the appropriate track's racing office, Woolley worked through Churchill Downs officials to get a new set from the Jockey Club posthaste so Mine That Bird would have documentation for the Belmont Stakes. Now that's been taken care of, and I presume the pickup's window has been fixed (Woolley is flying to NYC, not driving), soon all involved will be safe and sound in New York for the Belmont, with Louisville only a distant memory.