Songbird Faces Another 'Star' in CCA Oaks

The so far completely unchallenged champion Songbird (Medaglia d'Oro) faces what might be her most formidable test to date in the form of fellow 'TDN Rising Star' Carina Mia (Malibu Moon) in Sunday's GI Coaching Club American Oaks at Saratoga. Dominant in four tries last season capped by a 5 3/4-length romp in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, the $400,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga grad picked up right where she left off with a trio of drubbings, including the GI Santa Anita Oaks, Apr. 9. An imposing presence as the GI Kentucky Oaks loomed, she was ultimately forced to miss that event with a low-grade fever. Handled with care by Hall of Famer Jerry Hollendorfer and his team, Songbird returned in the GII Summertime Oaks back in Arcadia June 18, and was just as good as ever, pressing and pulling away to another jaw-dropping 6 1/2-length rout.

But Carina Mia is certainly no slouch, and enters with the same last-out 98 Beyer Speed Figure as Songbird. The dark bay aired by 9 3/4 lengths second out at Keeneland just two days before Songbird's score at the Breeders' Cup, and added a clear-cut success in the GII Golden Rod S. stretching out in the Churchill slop Nov. 28. Brought back for a somewhat belated sophomore bow in the GI Ashland S. back in Lexington, she set a fairly swift pace before settling for fourth behind 30-1 upsetter Weep No More (Mineshaft) and Grade I-winning 'Rising Stars' Rachel's Valentina (Bernardini) and Cathryn Sophia (Street Boss)–the former was second in Songbird's BC win, while the latter bounced back to grab the Kentucky Oaks in Songbird's absence. Carina Mia, however, failed to earn a spot in the starting gate for the Oaks. Instead she ran in the GII Eight Belles S. over seven panels on the same May 6 card, and overcame a rough start to thrash her competition by six lengths. She again came from off the pace to annex Belmont's GI Acorn S. June 11, defeating subsequent GI Mother Goose S. heroine Off the Tracks (Curlin) and Cathryn Sophia in the process.

“It's always a new challenge,” Carina Mia's Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott said of his charge's first attempt to go nine panels. “She's adding another sixteenth of a mile compared to what she's ever done before. She's run 1 1/16 miles in a two-turn race; it wouldn't be impossible for her, so we've got to try. We're not one to duck away from a challenge, I guess, when we know we've got a good filly. We're here [at Saratoga] and it's a very important Grade I race and we want to find out.”