Songbird records five-furlong move in 1:00

Edited Press Release

On an overcast Sunday morning, undefeated champion Songbird worked five furlongs over Santa Anita’s fast main track shortly after daybreak in 1:00 with exercise rider Edgar Rodriguez aboard.

Santa Anita clocker Dane Nelson had fractional times for Songbird of :24 and :48.20 with a six-furlong gallop out of 1:13.20.

“She galloped out good,” trainer Jerry Hollendorfer said.

While published reports have mentioned the $200,000 Summertime Oaks (G2) sending three-year-old fillies 1 1/16 miles on June 18 as Songbird’s comeback race, Hollendorfer indicated that was not written in stone, leaving the door open for other options.

“I don’t have an agenda for her,” he said. “We’re taking it one work at a time. It wasn’t me who said we were going to run there. They said, ‘Was it possible?’ It is possible, but I didn’t pick that race.”

Songbird, champion two-year-old filly of 2015 and easy winner of all seven of her races including the Santa Anita Oaks (G1), has not raced since that April 9 contest. The dark bay daughter of Medaglia d’Oro is owned by Rick Porter’s Fox Hill Farms.

Other workers at Santa Anita on Sunday included maiden Trojan Nation, runner-up by a head in the Wood Memorial (G1) and 16th at 42-1 in the Kentucky Derby (G1) in his past two. The bay son of Street Cry worked five furlongs Sunday in 1:00.20 on the main track, after which trainer Paddy Gallagher said he was “still thinking” about the colt’s next race.

Multiple Grade 1-winning millionaire Obviously clocked three-quarters in 1:10.60 over Santa Anita’s fast training track for trainer Phil D’Amato.

The Irish-bred eight-year-old gelding, who posted fractions of :23.20, :34.80 and :45.60 for the move, will go for three-peat win in the $400,000 Shoemaker Mile (G1) next Saturday.

Songbird photo courtesy of Cecilia Gustavsson/Horsephotos.com