LOUISVILLE, Ky. — They weren't supposed to be here among the big shots and the sheik, the Hall of Famers and the million dollar sure-things.

Not the tiny horse with the funky feet and unsightly gait. Not the cowboy trainer with the black hat, busted leg and horseshoe mustache to match. Not the owner who met the trainer in a bar fight and got immunity in a federal corruption case through his father's plea deal.

Yet here they are, this unlikely crew on the journey of their lives, propelled by a spectacular run at the Kentucky Derby that took 50-1 long-shot Mine That Bird from obscurity to champion for the ages. Next stop: the Preakness Stakes.

The avalanche of attention since the unheralded bay gelding's stunning and emphatic win has been a little bit much for rough-around-the-edges trainer Bennie Woolley Jr. The former bareback rider spent the last 25 years grinding out a modestly successful racing operation at tracks scattered throughout the Southwest.

"It's hard for me to be in front of the cameras," he said. "It's not something I really set out to do. I love being at the barn and doing my thing. The press side is just a little tough."

He better get used to it.

Woolley's post-Derby daze has consisted of a seemingly endless string of interviews, autograph requests, phone calls and well-wishers coming by Barn 42 at Churchill Downs — from Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert to the exercise riders, stall muckers and gate attendants.

Gratifying? Sure. Expected? Not exactly.

"It's a tough game," Woolley said. "I never thought I'd get here. You lose 80 percent of the time."

But Wolley's work ethic helped establish himself as one of New Mexico's most prominent horsemen. .

A thrillseeker who also has a taste for fast cars and hunting, it's hardly a surprise Woolley began his friendship with Mine That Bird owner Mark Allen during a bar fight 25 years ago.

Allen sent Woolley up to Canada to get a look at Mine That Bird, who won the Sovereign Award as Canada's top 2-year-old. The son of 2004 Belmont Stakes winner Birdstone carried a $400,000 price tag.

It wasn't cheap, but it was a chance for an owner and a trainer who never ventured anywhere near the Kentucky Derby Trail.

At first glance, Woolley wasn't sure the horse was worth it.

Mine That Bird was small, not even 16 hands high. Even worse, his feet pointed out at 45 degree angles, making him run like a car out of alignment.

Woolley spent a couple days watching the horse train. Despite his troubling gait, Mine That Bird seemed to get over the ground easy. Plus, there was a hint of speed Woolley knew he could work with.

Allen didn't waste any time putting his stable's pricey new star to the test. A week after the sale, Allen sent Mine That Bird to Santa Anita for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile.

It was a mistake. The horse faded badly in the stretch, finishing 12th.

Things didn't get any better when Woolley brought him home to New Mexico. Mine That Bird didn't win in two starts at Sunland Park, including a distant fourth-place finish in the Sunland Derby on March 29.

Woolley, figuring a trip to Churchill Downs was out of the question, made plans to put the horse in the Lone Star Derby in Texas on May 9.

Then a series of Derby defections — either by injury or a change in plans — opened the door for Mine That Bird to slide into the 20-horse field, solely on the strength of winning the Grey Stakes in Canada seven months ago.

"I told Mark 'This horse is as good as he's been in his life right now. If he's ever going to take a shot, this is the time to do it,"' Woolley said.

Oddsmakers made Mine That Bird a long-shot, and the few stories that trickled out about the horse focused more on Woolley's broken right leg or the lengthy road trip to Kentucky than the horse's actual chances of winning.

"It got aggravating after about the first 6,000 times being asked about the trip," Woolley said. "That wasn't what this was all about. This was about having a good horse, a damn good horse."

Mine That Bird proved it during the Derby, surging past the entire field in the last half-mile to win by 6¾ lengths, the widest margin in more than 60 years.