Songbird Not For Catching in Juvenile Fillies

Heading into Saturday’s GI 14 Hands Winery Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, trainer Jerry Hollendorfer–remarkably–had one more victory on Championship weekend than, say, Victor Garcia, whose Smooth Roller (Hard Spun) was to be his first starter in the Breeders’ Cup. The Hall of Fame conditioner, who sent out Dakota Phone (Zavata) to a 37-1 upset of the 2010 GI Dirt Mile at Churchill Downs, doubled his tally in the day’s opening race, sending out ‘TDN Rising Star Songbird’ (Medaglia d’Oro) to a thoroughly dominating victory. Fellow Rising Star Rachel’s Valentina (Bernardini), making her first appearance since besting Tap To It (Tapit) in the GI Spinaway S. at Saratoga Sept. 5, chased from second throughout and held that spot to the wire, well in advance of the rail-rallying Dothraki Queen (Pure Prize). “She just got out there and did her thing,” said Hollendorfer. “She’s a really nice filly and we’re very blessed to have her. I thought she was doing things relatively easy, especially the second quarter when things slowed up a little bit from the first one. We’re looking forward to next year. We don’t have any plans yet, but we will.”

Saturday, Keeneland
14 HANDS WINERY BREEDERS’ CUP JUVENILE FILLIES-GI, $1,840,000, KEE, 10-31, 2yo, f, 1 1/16m, 1:42.73, ft.
1–SONGBIRD, 122, f, 2, by Medaglia d’Oro
1st Dam: Ivanavinalot (GSW, $647,300), by West Acre
2nd Dam: Beaty Sark, by Deputy Minister
3rd Dam: Torsion Belle, by Torsion
“TDN Rising Star” ($400,000 Ylg ’14 FTSAUG). O-Fox Hill
Farms Inc.; B-John Antonelli (KY); T-Jerry Hollendorfer; J-Mike
E. Smith. $1,100,000. Lifetime Record: 4-4-0-0, $1,502,000.
Werk Nick Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus*. Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
[bullet ad=”hillndale-consigned”][bullet ad=”hill-n-dale-ftknov-hip-79″][bullet ad=”lynwood-stable-broke”][bullet ad=”taylor-made-keenov-hip-96″]
2–Rachel’s Valentina, 122, f, 2, Bernardini–Rachel Alexandra, by
Medaglia d’Oro. O/B-Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings LLC (KY);
“TDN Rising Star” T-Todd A. Pletcher. $360,000.
[bullet ad=”stonestreet-bredraised”][bullet ad=”bedouin-keenov-hip-224″]
3–Dothraki Queen, 122, f, 2, Pure Prize–Sharaiji Blossom, by Saint
Ballado. ($35,000 Ylg ’14 KEESEP). O-Magdalena Racing (Kenneth G.
McPeek et al.); B-Liberty Road Stables (KY); T-Kenneth G. McPeek.
$200,000.
[bullet ad=”hill-n-dale-hill-n-dale-raised-and-sold”][bullet ad=”berkelhammer-prepared-at-abracadabra-farms”]
Margins: 5 3/4, 1 1/4, 2 3/4. Odds: 0.60, 5.40, 25.50.
Also Ran: Nickname, Ma Can Do It, Tap to It, Land Over Sea, Forever Darling, Right There, Bold Quality. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

The $400,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga graduate was accorded Rising Star status on the strength of a 6 1/2-length debut success going six furlongs at Del Mar July 26 and made light work of nine rivals in the GI Del Mar Debutante Sept. 5, overcoming the 10 hole en route to a 5 1/4-length defeat of next-out GII Matron S. winner Pretty N Cool (Ghostzapper) in that seven-furlong affair. Songbird took the next logical step in the GI Chandelier S. at Santa Anita Sept. 26, cruising around the track on an above-average pace in her first two-turn voyage and was never menaced in scoring by 4 1/4 lengths from Land Over Sea (Bellamy Road) and Right There (Eskendereya). Bounced away from the 10 hole by Mike Smith, Songbird easily crossed Rachel’s Valentina and led going well under a long rein turning up the backstretch. After a modest opening quarter-mile in :23.60, Songbird was well within herself through a half in :47.15 and the race, for all intents and purposes, was in the bag. With Smith chilly in the saddle and nearly everything behind her hard at work, Songbird hit the quarter pole three or so lengths in front, widened under minimal encouragement entering the stretch and proved a comprehensive. Rachel’s Valentina was a clear runner-up ahead of Dothraki Queen, who came with a belated rally up the rail.

“Once she jumped well and I was still on her, I felt pretty confident,” said Mike Smith, who padded his lead as the winningest Breeders’ Cup jockey with his 22nd career victory. “She’s so talented and she gives you so much confidence. I almost felt like yawning as we went along. I don’t mean that in a bragging way. She just gives me that much confidence. I’m really blessed to be a part of this great team.”

Songbird’s dam, Ivanavinalot, was a leading 3-year-old filly of 2003 for owner Gil Campbell and trainer Kathleen O’Connell, with a marquee win in the GII Bonnie Miss S. The deeper female family has crossed well with this sire, as MSW Onepointhreekarats (Medaglia d’Oro) was a $1.3-million Keeneland September yearling before going on to a trio of black-type wins. Ivanavinalot is the dam of a Ghostzapper filly of 2015 and was bred this year to Tapizar.