Songbird exited her tough neck loss in Saturday’s Personal Ensign Stakes (G1) at Saratoga “very good,” Hall of Fame trainer Jerry Hollendorfer said Sunday.
The champion filly was sent off the 2-5 favorite against three rivals and attempted to lead all the way home under regular rider Mike Smith. However, “The Graveyard of Favorites” claimed another victim when Forever Unbridled ran down Songbird and stuck her neck in front on the wire of the 1 1/8-mile contest.
While she may have suffered the second loss of her career, Songbird’s connections were full of praise for the Medaglia d’Oro four-year-old.
“She ran a huge race and did everything she was asked to do, and she did it in Grade 1 company at Saratoga,” assistant trainer Christina Jelm said. “The filly that won is an amazing, strong, dominant, superior, well-bred animal also and to lose by a neck to her is nothing to be ashamed of.
“I think Songbird has set the bar so high that the only other one to get over it so far is Beholder, so the expectation on her was to never be beat. But horses, like all great athletes, don’t win every single time. Yesterday, another great filly passed her at the wire.
“She ran her heart out and I think she is as good, if not better, than ever,” Jelm added. “On the way back to the barn, people were cheering for her, calling her name, and telling her what a good girl she is.”
Hollendorfer was at the barn Sunday morning to check over his talented charge.
“She came back very good,” he said, adding that Songbird was completely sound and perfectly healthy.
“The important thing is that she is absolutely fine,” Jelm noted. “Jerry went over her. There is nothing that is at all discernable. She’s in good health and is relaxed, as she always is coming out of all her races. She’s great.
“She didn’t come back to the barn depressed by any means. She ate all of her dinner last night and she had a nice long walk this morning, followed by a little nap. She’s having a nice easy day. This afternoon she’ll get out of her stall and graze and walk and enjoy the sunshine before we leave early in the morning. We’re giving her a lot of love and attention.”
Prior to the Personal Ensign, Hollendorfer and owner Rick Porter of Fox Hill Farm had planned a return trip to the Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1) for Songbird’s four-year-old finale. The filly suffered the first loss of her career when battling throughout last year’s edition with Beholder, eventually finishing a nose second to that now-retired multiple Eclipse Award winner.
“Mr. Porter and I are going to talk over everything and will do that when Songbird is back in my barn in California. Nothing has been decided yet,” Hollendorfer said.
Songbird is set to join a contingent of California-based runners taking a Monday morning flight back to the West Coast.
Forever Unbridled will also be aboard the flight, which will stop in Kentucky so the Unbridled’s Song mare can join back up with trainer Dallas Stewart’s barn.
“Just phenomenal,” Stewart said of Forever Unbridled’s victory. “She just really put on a performance yesterday that was out of this world. She beat a champion and you have to have an unbelievable performance to do what she did. She looks good today, too. She looks bright and she’s rearing up and bucking this morning; all of the above.
“She’s a big, beautiful, strong filly,” he continued. “She had some raw talent coming into training early and then as a three-year-old hooked some great fillies like (I’m a) Chatterbox and Lovely Maria. We never ducked anybody. That’s (owner/breeder) Chuck Fipke’s style. He doesn’t duck anyone.”
Forever Unbridled, her dam and her full sister have proven to be major stars in Stewart’s barn. Lemons Forever got the show started when upsetting the 2006 Kentucky Oaks (G1) at 46-1 and would go on to produce both Forever Unbridled and Unbridled Forever, who captured the 2015 Ballerina Stakes (G1) while placing in the 2014 Kentucky Oaks, Acorn Stakes (G1) and Coaching Club America Oaks (G1).
Forever Unbridled will attempt to continue her family’s fortune while going for a title defense run in the Beldame Stakes (G1) at Belmont Park on September 30. The bay mare won last year’s edition by 2 1/4 lengths after a three-quarter length third-placing in the Personal Ensign. She followed her Beldame victory with another third, this time behind Beholder and Songbird in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff.
“She’s just a lot of talent and a lot of pedigree,” Stewart said. “We’re looking forward to going back to the Breeders’ Cup.”
