Songbird cruises in fast workout

ARCADIA, Calif. – The two-time champion Songbird continues to work fast with minimal effort.

On Thursday at Santa Anita, Songbird breezed five furlongs in 59.60 seconds, the fastest of 29 works at the distance. For the second consecutive week, Songbird’s work was given the designation of “breezing” and not the more-strenuous “handily.”

Regular jockey Mike Smith was aboard for the workout. Smith rode Songbird to a win in her first start of the year, the Grade 1 Ogden Phipps Stakes at Belmont Park on June 10.

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“She looked pretty good,” trainer Jerry Hollendorfer said. “I’ve been having Mike work her, and he’s really happy with the way she’s going. She did her work nice and easy and came out of the race in good shape.”

Her next race is undetermined, with the Grade 1 Delaware Handicap at 1 1/4 miles at Delaware Park on July 15 and the Grade 1 Clement L. Hirsch Stakes at 1 1/16 miles at Del Mar on July 30 as the leading options, Hollendorfer said. The Delaware Handicap is worth $750,000, while the Hirsch has a purse of $300,000.

Songbird is owned by Rick Porter, who lives on the East Coast and has been fighting illness. The champion 2-year-old filly of 2015 and 3-year-old filly of 2016, Songbird has won 12 of 13 starts and earned $4,112,000. Her lone loss was a nose defeat to the four-time champion Beholder in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff at Santa Anita last November.