Crowd Cheers On Songbird After Santa Ysabel Stakes Win

Fans Cheer On Songbird Following Santa Ysabel Stakes Romp

By: Christopher Ado

 
As three maidens — Miss Injustice, She’s a Warrior, and Award It — were battling through the Santa Anita turf course in last Saturday’s 4th race, a large crowd began to fill Santa Anita’s walking ring and saddling area. The champion two-year-old filly, Songbird, was walking from the stabling area to the paddock to be saddled for the Gr. 3 Santa Ysabel Stakes. People with their phones, cameras, and little kids were jockeying for position to get a glimpse of the beautiful dark bay filly. When Songbird stepped foot on the racetrack to extend her unbeaten record to six wins, she gave her adoring fans another reason to cheer her on, delivering yet another mesmerizing performance.

Once the gates broke, Songbird took to the lead and Jade Princess pressed the pace outside of the champion two-year-old filly with more pressure applied as Not Now Carolyn joined three wide into the first turn. Songbird ran the opening quarter in 23.20. Under the confident handling of Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith, the daughter of Medaglia d’Oro began to separate herself from her competition. Jockey Rafael Bejarano started to urge Jade Princess to keep up with the favored leader after a half mile in 46.02. Around the far turn, Songbird continued galloping, clocking six furlongs in an impressive 1:09.98 under no urging. Once she hit the eighth pole, Mike Smith said, “I looked over at the big screen to see if I needed to do a little bit of work and I was just in awe of how easily she was doing things, again.” The official margin was only 3-¾ lengths but track announcer Michael Wrona said in his call “Songbird wins by, well, whatever she felt like.” Land Over Sea, who has now finished second behind Songbird in three starts, finished 3-½ lengths in front of Mokat in third.

As the field galloped back to the winner’s circle to be unsaddled, the clubhouse and grandstand patrons let out loud congratulatory cheers and applause. Now undefeated in six career starts, Songbird has won by a combined margin of 32-¼ lengths, leaving stakes winners such as Pretty N Cool and Rachel’s Valentina in her wake. The $400,000 Fasig-Tipton yearling graduate is out of dam Ivanavinalot and remains on target for the May 6th Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs.

“The Santa Anita Oaks (on April 9) would be next and if she looks real good, we’ll try to think about Kentucky (the Oaks on May 6),” said trainer Jerry Hollendorfer. “I don’t like to think too far ahead but that’s our long-term goal. The intermediate [races] are what we’ve been doing.”

Jockey Mike Smith who has been blessed to be aboard some of the greatest fillies such as Inside Information, Azeri, Zenyatta, and Beholder feels that she can be effective from off the pace if another horse elects to go for the lead. “I could have let someone go to the lead today, but I didn’t because it was there and it was that easy for her. But if someone was that content on it, they’ll have to definitely run to be able to do it. She’ll let them do it, but they’ll have to throw some numbers up there… I don’t think it’d be a problem,” said Smith. “She reminds me a lot of Beholder in her three-year-old year, turning four. When she was three, she was very aggressive, on the lead all the time. But she started to get smarter with age and Songbird seems to be doing the same thing.”

As Songbird was walking back to her barn, the crowd of 9,007 in attendance — many first time visitors to Santa Anita — left with the thought of the Santa Anita Oaks (April 9th), hoping to witness Songbird’s brilliance once again at The Great Race Place.