Marylou Whitney's Bird Song (Unbridled's Song-Bird Town, by Birdstone) has been retired from racing, according to four-year-old's connections yesterday. Plans regarding where the colt will stand stud are pending. The winner of five of 14 career starts for trainer Ian Wilkes, the gray retires with $512,707 in earnings. Chief among his wins are the GIII Fred Hooper S. at Gulfstream in March before a score in the GII Alysheba S. at Churchill Downs May 5.
“He's been a special horse to us on the racetrack,” said Wilkes. “He's retired happy, healthy and sound so that's really what's the most important in this game.”
Out of GI Kentucky Oaks-winning champion Bird Town, also campaigned by Whitney, Bird Song also hit the board in the Jan. 14 GIII Hal's Hope S. and GIII Ben Ali S. Apr. 15. In his latest start, he finished sixth-beaten 16 3/4 lengths by Sharp Azteca (Freud)-in the Sept. 23 GII Kelso H. at Belmont.
“The horse gave Marylou and I everything and owes us nothing,” said John Henrickson, husband of Whitney. “We are delighted to have a multiple graded stakes winner out of a champion. What more could you hope for? He's a beautiful animal and he gave us a lot of highs and probably the top of it was his win in the Alysheba. We were sad], but we knew there was something was up because he wasn't his normal self in his latest performance [the Kelso]. But several farms are interested, so hopefully, he'll land in a nice career. As we've always said, these horses don't ask to be born so we owe it to all of our horses to take care of them.”
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