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Conan O’Brien and NBC went through a nasty separation in recent weeks, and in O’Brien’s second-to-last show, a New Mexico race horse that won the Kentucky Derby was brought into the fray. Or was it?
O’Brien claimed that the Tonight Show bought Mine That Bird (which was watching “restricted NFL Super Bowl footage”) for a skit that cost the network $4.8 million on his second-to-last show–but it was just a stunt. The reality, and video, is below.
From the Luxist blog at AOL:
the identity of the racehorse and the authenticity of the Super Bowl footage has since been disputed. As our sports-loving friends at FanHouse point out, that footage was actually a 1984 USFL game between the Tampa Bay Bandits and Houston Gamblers. A quick look at the horse on the Tonight Show and at Kentucky Derby winner reveals that while the two share some markings including a white smudge on the forehead, they are not the same animal. Mine That Bird is a bay with a darker mane and a smaller white marking than the horse that appeared on the Tonight Show (which was a chestnut). And while it is hard to tell from a television screen if the horse is wearing real fur, the thinness and drape seem to indicate that the horse is not adorned in real mink.
So don’t worry, New Mexico race horse enthusiasts, the race horse wasn’t bought by the Tonight Show.
The previous day, O’Brien claimed to have spent $1.8 million on an ultra rare and ultra pricey Bugatti Veyron which he dressed up as a mouse. While that skit was going on, the Rolling Stones song “Satisfaction” played in the background.
Friday night, on his final Tonight Show, O’Brien came clean and admitted to his audience, and the internet denizens, that it was all fake.
The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien, however, is no more. Much to the chagrin of the 630,000 fans on Facebook.
Mine That Bird won the Kentucky Derby as a 50-1 longshot, the longest odds for a winner in more than 60 years. At this time last year, Mine That Bird was racing in Sunland Park, New Mexico.
Is this important? No, probably not even for race horsing fans. But as the legislative session begins to grind into motion and Congress continues to decide what to do with health care reform and other burning issues–we’re desperate for distraction.
Here’s the video of the skit:
