Songbird flies to victory in Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies

According to jockey Mike Smith, as soon as Songbird broke from the gate and he stayed on, there was no doubt in who would win Saturday’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) at Keeneland.

The dark bay filly immediately took command of the race from her far outside post and proceeded through easy splits of :23.60, :47.15, 1:11.42 and 1:36.33, all the while holding a comfortable lead.

Rachel’s Valentina, the other popular filly in the field, followed just in behind but could never get close to her rival as Songbird opened up rounding the turn and into the stretch. Smith was merely a passenger as the Fox Hill Farms colorbearer loped home under her own power to be 5 3/4 lengths clear on the wire.

Rachel’s Valentina came next and was followed under the wire by Dothraki Queen and Nickname.

Songbird ran 1 1/16 miles over Keeneland’s fast main track in 1:42.73 as the 3-5 favorite and returned $3.20 for the win. She is now four-for-four in her career, having previously romped in her maiden debut at Del Mar prior to easy scores in the Del Mar Debutante (G1) and Santa Anita Park’s Chandelier S. (G1).

Songbird’s win in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies assured her an Eclipse Award as the year’s champion two-year-old filly and made her the early favorite for next spring’s Kentucky Oaks (G1) under the Twin Spires at Churchill Downs.

Click for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies quotes and transcript.

Songbird photo courtesy of Wendy Wooley/EquiSport Photos