Carina Mia will challenge Songbird in Coaching Club American Oaks

ELMONT, N.Y. – When Songbird runs in the Grade 1 Coaching Club American Oaks on July 24 at Saratoga, she will have at least one serious challenger in Carina Mia, the winner of the Grade 1 Acorn.

“The best way to test our horse is to run against her and find out what we’ve got,” said Bill Mott, who trains Carina Mia for the Three Chimneys Farm of Goncalo Borges Torrealba.

Carina Mia, a daughter of Malibu Moon, is 4 for 6 and coming off back-to-back stakes victories in the Grade 2 Eight Belles, a seven-furlong race at Churchill Downs, and the Acorn, a one-turn-mile race at Belmont. In both of those races, she came from off the pace.

Last year at 2, Carina Mia won the Grade 3 Golden Rod, a two-turn, 1 1/16-mile race, by 4 1/4 lengths on the front end. Following the Acorn, Mott and Torrealba had the option of stretching out to the CCA Oaks at 1 1/8 miles or cutting back to seven furlongs in a race such as the Grade 1 Test on Aug. 6.

“I think Mr. Torrealba would rather try her at a mile and an eighth and know one way or the other, and I certainly understand that,” Mott said. “People run in the Kentucky Oaks all the time, and they don’t know if they’ll go a mile and an eighth. We’re moving up to nine furlongs off a good mile race and a style that would sort of indicate she’d go a mile and an eighth.”

Mott said the decision to run in the CCA Oaks was made before news that Songbird was coming and that the purse would be raised to $500,000 if Songbird does run. Mott said he has the utmost respect for Songbird.

“She’s a very nice horse,” Mott said. “I saw her as a 2-year-old before she ever left the farm. She was a nice horse then. She’s proven at every juncture that she’s a good horse.”

On Friday, Carina Mia worked four furlongs in 49.20 seconds over the Oklahoma track at Saratoga, according to Daily Racing Form clocker Mike Vesce. She got her last quarter-mile in 23.80 seconds and galloped out five furlongs in 1:16.40.

Mott said that Celestine, the dominant winner of the Grade 1 Just a Game, developed a skin rash last week, and he’s not sure where she will make her next start. The Grade 1 Diana on July 23 was under consideration.

“Certainly thinking about it,” Mott said. “But I don’t want to run her back if she’s not at the top of her game. I’d rather wait for another race. She’s already won a Grade 1. It’s a mile and an eighth anyway. That extra furlong might change things.”