Songbird moves closer to return with six-furlong work

Songbird’s return to racing is nearly set following all illness diagnosed in April that kept her from starting in the $1 million Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs on May 6.

On Saturday at Santa Anita, Songbird, the undefeated champion 2-year-old filly of 2015, worked six furlongs in 1:13 under Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith. The workout left a strong possibility that Songbird will start in the $200,000 Summertime Oaks at Santa Anita on June 18.

“We’ll look at that race,” trainer Jerry Hollendorfer said. “We have time to do more work, so we’ll see what happens.”

Songbird has had three workouts since she returned to training. She ran a half-mile in 46.40 seconds on May 22 and five furlongs in 1:00 on May 29.

Saturday’s workout was the first time that Smith had been aboard Songbird since she won the Grade 1 Santa Anita Oaks on April 9. Songbird was diagnosed with a fever within a week of that race and was briefly out of training, forcing the cancellation of a trip to Kentucky.

“She went really well,” Smith said. “She might have gotten a little tired, but she recovered quickly. She was fine at the barn. She certainly looked good and better than the last time I saw her. She’s pretty much ready to go.”

Owned by Rick Porter, Songbird has won seven races and earned $1,983,000. She has won four Grade 1 races, including the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies at Keeneland last October.