this fish reaches a length of 10 centimetres ( 3.9 in ) tl .

it can also be found in the aquarium trade .

callochromis pleurospilus

specificationsmpnf90 0022 0599manufacturerthat fish placecommon nameraspberry head pleurospilus scientific namecallochromis pleurospilus originlake ta . . .
callochromis pleurospilus male feeding in tanzanian waters , lake tanganyika . the marks in the sand are seen everywhere callochromis species has been feeding - photos © cichlidenstadl , germany
callochromis pleurospilus male from the area of kigoma , tanzania in the aquarium . photo by ad konings . determiner ad konings .
a beautiful callochromis pleurospilus male from kigoma , tanzania in the aquarium of paolo salvagiani ; italy . photo by paolo salvagiani . determiner paolo salvagiani .
callochromis pleurospilus is a species of cichlid endemic to lake tanganyika excepting the southern end . its preferred habitat consists of sandy bottoms with nearby rocks .
providing plenty of rocky caves , branched wood pieces or similar decorations , will provide fish that are being chased or harassed with areas to avoid the aggression of the male callochromis pleurospilus . as far as the overall aquarium environment , callochromis pleurospilus do well when presented with a sandy substrate with plenty of rocky caves , crevices and similar type decorations . callochromis pleurospilus do not have specific lighting or water movement considerations , but should be provided high quality water conditions and moderate water flow .
male callochromis cichlids will exhibit a large amount of aggression towards other males of the species and males of similar species . they will also to a lesser degree harass female callochromis pleurospilus as well . in order to mitigate this behaviour it is best to house the callochromis pleurospilus in a four foot or larger aquarium with a single male and a small group of 4 to 6 females , or a larger ( 6 foot aquarium ) if housed with another male or similar species .
callochromis pleurospilus are found in the sandy and sediment - rich shallows in the lake , often located near river outlets or protected bays . water plants are found in this habitat , the most commonly being vallisneria spiralis , ceratophyllum demersum , myriophyllom spicatum and hydrilla verticillata ( konings 1998 ) . out of the breeding season callochromis pleurospilus form large foraging schools ; they feed primarily on crustaceans , small snails , shrimps , insect larvae and other invertebrates and stomach investigations has even revealed remains of fish ( poll 1956 ) ; callochromis pleurospilus can thus be regarded as a generalized carnivore .
andersen , thomas . ( february 02 , 2006 ) .
callochromis pleurospilus ( boulenger 1906 ) : a beautiful beast
. cichlid room companion . retrieved on july 09 , 2018 , from : urltoken
callochromis pleurospilus do well in home aquariums that are 4 feet or more in length and provide them with a habitat similar to their natural surroundings . they will appreciate a sandy or similar substrate with plenty of rocky areas and some branch type wood pieces and plants . the key factor in successfully keeping callochromis pleurospilus in the home aquarium is to mitigate their natural aggression through aquarium size , tank mates and proper arrangement of aquarium decorations .
callochromis pleurospilus was described by boulenger in 1906 , under the name of pelmatochromis pleurospilus , but was moved to the new genus callochromis , established by regan in 1920 , where it still remains today . callochromis have some similarities in common with species in the genus xenotilapia , but differ primarily by having only two lateral lines and the outer ray in the ventral fins being longer than inner ray , whereas xenotilapia ( sensu poll 1986 ) have three lateral lines and the outer ray in the ventral fins are shorter than or equals the inner ray .
callochromis pleurospilus originate from the shallows and shorelines of lake tanganyika , where they forge a living within the sediment rich coast areas of the lake where the plant vegetation meets the lake . male callochromis cichlids spend their time patrolling and protecting a small territory , where they will aggressively chase off other males and similar sized other species .
in their natural habitat of lake tanganyika , callochromis pleurospilus feed mostly on small crustaceans , insects and insect larvae . in the aquarium environment they will readily adjust to a varied diet of commercial meaty foods . callochromis pleurospilus should be fed two to three times a day a varied diet of high quality commercial foods including : cyclop - eeze , mysis shrimp , brine shrimp , high quality flake and pellet foods , blood worms and similar other commercial preparations .
callochromis pleurospilus feeds by sifting the upper layer of sand , filtering it for food . in the lake they leave the bottom strewn with small pits where they have been searching for food , and similar pits can be seen in the aquarium .
female callochromis cichlids stay in a small group that will live with a single male in the males territory . when not defending territory or breeding , callochromis cichlids hunt for insects , small crustaceans and insect larvae in and around the roots of plants and rocky areas along the coast of the lake .
takahashi , tetsumi & k . nakaya . 1998 .
callochromis stappersii ( boulenger , 1914 ) from lake tanganyika , a junior synonym of c . pleurospilus ( boulenger , 1906 ) ( perciformes , cichlidae )
. ichthyological research . v 45 ; n . 4 ; pp . 413 - 418 ( crc01143 )
the type specimen of callochromis pleurospilus was caught in m’pala in congo , but it has a like - wide distribution and several geographical variants are known . the variants from burundi , zambia and kigoma in tanzania are the most commonly exported to the aquarium hobby : the burundi variant is known as the
red - dotted pleurospilus
and has a row of 6 horizontal red dots on the flank , the zambian as the red one and last the variant from kigoma , known under the trade names
greshakei
or
rainbow - pleurospilus
( konings 1998 ) . the latter has wide red margin to the dorsal fin and a beautiful bluish - green shimmering body .
molecular phylogenies has confirmed the results of older morphological studies : the species in the genus callochromis form a monophyletic entity , and constitute an independent clade within the ectodini tribe ( koblmüller et al . 2004 ) . in 1998 takahashi & nakaya made callochromis stappersii a junior synonym of c . pleurospilus due to overlapping morphometric data between the two ( takahashi & nakaya 1998 ) , but recent molecular analyses have shown that c . stappersii may in fact be a valid taxa ( koblmüller et al . 2004 ) . this topic will be discussed in a separate paper .
callochromis pleurospilus is a maternal mouthbrooder with a distinct sexual dimorphism ; while the males are gorgeously coloured , the females are much more anonymous dressed in silver . the body is elongated and the standard length is 10 - 11 cm for males and a little shorter for the females ; the eyes are big and oval and placed high on the head . a very special feature linked with all callochromis species are the unique egg - spot on the males’ anal fin , appearing as a orange - red band , which can’t be found in any other mouthbrooding cichlid in lake tanganyika .
callochromis pleurospilus is like the rest of the three species in the genus callochromis a lek - breeder . in their natural habitat the nests are placed a couple of meters apart and that is the reason why we cannot normally have more than one male in our tank ; the males will constantly fight and the strongest male will try to chase the weaker male out of its territory . in a small tank the subdominant individual ( s ) cannot escape the wrath of the dominant male , which will get furious because of the never - ending intrusion on his territory ; in time the story usually ends as described above , with only one male left in the aquarium .
in the aquarium callochromis pleurospilus turns out , in spite of its delicate appearance , to be a rather aggressive and rough sand - dweller , which is best kept in small groups consisting of a single male and at least three females . if more then one male is kept together , it nearly always ends up with one male being the strongest and most dominate , controlling more and more of the aquarium as time goes by ; the result of this is at best a male hiding in the corner , or worse , a dead one .
callochromis cichlid do not exhibit the bright coloration that one tends to see from across the room , but upon closer examination they do have very brilliant colors that make them a very attractive addition to many smaller aquariums or larger community aquariums with larger species capable of dealing with their conspecific aggression .
the menu should consist of a replica of its natural diet so various forms of frozen food like artemia , cyclops , mysis and mosquito - larvae ( not the red ones ! ) would be good , as well as chopped up krill and shrimps . i have often observed that callochromis pleurospilus under their hunt for food stops up , swim a little backwards , looks at the sand and then suddenly trust themselves into the sand completely burying the head . to satisfy this feeding behavior i sometimes bury bits of frozen food in the sand ; there is no need to worry about the food not getting eaten , the fish will quickly locate it in the sand – very interesting and good fun to watch !
the clutch size of callochromis pleurospilus ranges between 15 and 50 eggs . young not fully grown females have smaller clutches and they often produce more eggs than can be taken into the mouth and they become eaten by the male . being a maternal mouthbrooder , only the female holds the eggs and larvae in the mouthbrooding period which last for 18 - 21 days . the larvae are app . 10 mm upon release and no further brood care is being done by female . the newly released fry should immediately be fed with newly hatched artemia , frozen bosmins and cyclops . the fry grow relatively fast and reach 20 - 25 mm after a couple of months . after a year they reach a length of 6 - 7 cm and are ready to spawn ; some individuals even become sexually mature at a length of only 4 - 5 cm .
maréchal , c . and m . poll , 1991 . callochromis . p . 32 - 35 . in j . daget , j . - p . gosse , g . g . teugels and d . f . e . thys van den audenaerde ( eds . ) check - list of the freshwater fishes of africa ( cloffa ) . isnb , brussels ; mrac , tervuren ; and orstom , paris . vol . 4 . ( ref . 5608 )
callochomis pleurospilus is an extremely beautiful sand - dweller , with a breeding behavior that is one of the most spectacular among the sand - dwellers , but in the same time a very aggressive one . instead of seeing the aggression as an annoying drawback when keeping this species , it is much better to look at it on the bright side , and use the aggression to be able to have a sand - dweller element in a lake tanganyika community aquarium , where many other sand - dwelling species would be suppressed and stressed .
c . pleurospilus is a maternal mouthbrooder , where the males construct small sand - scrape nest , often near rocks or water plants ; the nests are located in very shallow water , often less than two meters of depth . the small nests have a diameter of app . 15 cm with an elevated rim . ripe females are often seen huddle together under the cover of the water plants or at the edge of a more rocky section of the habitat . mouthbrooding females are often found solitary or in small groups and hide in the water plants as well ( konings 1998 ) .
greek , kalos , kallos = beautiful + greek , chromis = a fish , perhaps a perch ( ref . 45335 )
freshwater ; benthopelagic ; ph range : 7 . 0 - 8 . 5 ; dh range : 10 - 15 . tropical ; 23°c - 28°c ( ref . 2059 ) ; 3°s - 6°s
africa : endemic to lake tanganyika , except the south end of the lake ( ref . 35977 ) .
maturity : l m ? range ? - ? cm max length : 10 . 0 cm tl male / unsexed ; ( ref . 5608 )
dorsal spines ( total ) : 12 - 14 ; dorsal soft rays ( total ) : 11 - 14 ; anal spines : 3 ; anal soft rays : 7 - 9 ; vertebrae : 30 - 32 . body slightly elongated , highest at origin of dorsal fin ; dorsal profile gently rounded , ventral profile rather straight ( ref . 35977 ) . mouth very low ; jaws usually equal ; maxillary may or may not extend to a vertical line through anterior margin of eye ( ref . 35977 ) . all teeth on both jaws conical , recurved , arranged in outer and inner series ( ref . 35977 ) . first dorsal spine very short , all spines with a lappet near tip ; all dorsal fin soft rays usually branched ( ref . 35977 ) . first anal spine very short , length of subsequent spines increasing progressively , and all spines with a small lappet near tip ( ref . 35977 ) . pectoral fin reaching between anus and third anal fin spine ( ref . 35977 ) . pelvic fin filamentous , reaching between anus and second anal fin spine ( ref . 35977 ) . scales ctenoid on lateral surface of body ( ref . 35977 ) .
occurs over sand bottoms near rocks where they feed on invertebrates . forms schools . bury themselves in the sand to evade predators ( ref . 6770 ) .
phylogenetic diversity index ( ref . 82805 ) : pd 50 = 0 . 6250 [ uniqueness , from 0 . 5 = low to 2 . 0 = high ] .
bayesian length - weight : a = 0 . 01514 ( 0 . 00700 - 0 . 03275 ) , b = 2 . 97 ( 2 . 80 - 3 . 14 ) , in cm total length , based on lwr estimates for this ( sub ) family - body shape ( ref . 93245 ) .
trophic level ( ref . 69278 ) : 3 . 5 ±0 . 37 se ; based on food items .
resilience ( ref . 69278 ) : medium , minimum population doubling time 1 . 4 - 4 . 4 years ( assuming fec < 1000 ) .
vulnerability ( ref . 59153 ) : low vulnerability ( 14 of 100 ) .
pisces aka
bemazal dagim
farm , israel . * music credit : cocogroove - forgotten jungle ( swaz mix )
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snoeks , j . ( freshwater fish red list authority ) & darwall , w . ( freshwater biodiversity assessment programme )
justification : endemic to lake tanganyika . widespread distribution . local declines due to fishing but no lake - wide decline reported .
endemic to lake tanganyika . found all around the lake . enters the delta of the malagarasi river .
found in inshore waters , mainly over sandy bottoms . feeds on varied food items collected on sandy bottoms including small molluscs , ostracods , insect larvae , fish larvae , etc .
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pam chin has been replying to cichlid questions for over twenty years . highly respected and experienced aquarist , pam has visited cichlid habitats around the world , and bred in her ' s and her husband gary fish house hundreds of cichlid species . besides her job , she still devotes time to help any person with a cichlid question !
articles for sale beautifully formatted and wonderfully illustrated pdf articles about all matters relative to cichlids .
books for sale cichlid books and dvds for sale at the cichlid room companion .
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trade section the master list of cichlid offers ordered by area and species name .
a harem - group as the former can be kept in an aquarium with a length of 120 cm ( app . 4 feet ) if it’s provided with sufficient shelter for the females . besides a sandy bottom the tank should have several caves built out of rock and some groups of water plants to offer the females some protection .
but the most interesting has yet to come ; the spawning . the male tries vigorously to lure the female into the nest and if he succeeds tries to cut her off in order to prevent her from escaping . the male then leads the female to the centre of the nest and shows where she should deposit her eggs ; this is done by folding the anal fin so that the orange - red margin resembles an egg in three dimensions , while holding it in the centre of the nest ; a very interesting play to watch ! the female deposits some eggs in the centre of the nest and then turns around and picks them up . at the same time the male holds his folded anal fin in front of the female’s mouth and releases his semen . the female immediately tries to catch the moving
egg
and snaps at it , resulting in the fertilizing of the eggs inside the females mouth . this scenario is repeated until the females is empty of eggs
boulenger , george albert . 1906 .
fourth contribution to the ichthyology of lake tanganyika - report on the collection of fishes made by dr . w . a . cunnington during the third tanganyika expedition , 1904 - 1905
. transactions of the zoological society of london . pp . 537 - 619 ( crc00004 )
koblmüller , stephan & w . salzburger & c . sturmbauer . 2004 .
evolutionary relationships in the sand - dwelling cichlid lineage of lake tanganyika suggest multiple colonization of rocky habitats and convergent origin of bipartental mouthbrooding
. journal of molecular evolution . v . 58 ( n . 1 ) , pp . 79 - 96 ( crc01117 ) ( abstract )
konings , ad . 1998 .
tanganyika cichlids in their natural habitat
. cichlid press ( crc00734 )
poll , max . 1986 .
classification des cichlidae du lac tanganika . tribus , genres et especes
. academie royale de belgique , mémoires de la classe des sciences . collection in 8 - 2ème série ; 45 ( 2 ) ; p 1 - 163 ( crc00033 )
poll , max . 1956 .
poissons cichlidae
. exploration hydrobiologique du lac tanganika ( 1946 - 1947 ) - résultats scientifiques . pp . 1 - 619 ( crc00088 )
regan , charles tate . 1920 .
the classification of the fishes of the family cichlidae . - i . the tanganyika genera
. annals and magazine of natural history . ( ser . 9 ) v . 5 ; n . 25 ; pp . 33 - 53 ( crc00028 )
76 - 82° f , kh 10 - 15 , ph 7 . 8 - 8 . 6
in the wild males build small depressions in the sandy substrate or utilize an existing , in which to entice the female to lay her eggs . after the eggs are released and then fertilized by the male , the female scoops them into her mouth in order to protect the eggs until they hatch . the female does all of the rearing of the brood , which generally lasts approximately 3 weeks .
at this time the fry will be release from the mothers mouth , where they will be left to fend for themselves . the adult male should be removed after the eggs are laid and picked up by the female , who should be removed from the breeding tank as soon as the brood is released from her mouth . the young fry should be fed freshly hatched baby brine shrimp or given finely crushed flake food .
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females of this strain and slender and silver but males develop a stunning multicolored body . the sides are pink and green with whitish fins , blue in . . .
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the kuhli loach ( pangio kuhlii ) is a small eel - like freshwater fish belonging to the loach family ( cobitidae ) . it originates in indonesia and the malay peninsula . this snake like creature is very . . .
scientific name : altolamprologus calvus ( gold ) the common gold calvus is a mildly aggressive substrate spawner that is a small fry predator . the calvus also feeds on insect larvae and small . . .
tropheus moorii
red band
- regular : 1 . 5 - 2 . 25 inches


songbird ( foaled april 30 , 2013 ) is an american thoroughbred racehorse .

she was the 2015 american champion two-year-old filly after being undefeated in four starts , including grade i victories in the del mar debutante stakes , chandelier stakes and breeders ' cup juvenile fillies .

she was undefeated against three-year-old fillies in 2016 including the grade i santa anita oaks , coaching club american oaks , alabama and cotillion stakes .

her 11-race undefeated streak ended in the breeders ' cup distaff , where she was second by a scant nose to the 6-year-old champion mare , beholder .

in 2017 after her return to the racetrack was delayed by injury , she won the grade i ogden phipps after a seven-month layoff .

in july , she won the delaware handicap for her ninth grade i victory .

songbird ( horse )

california chrome received 202 first - place votes for horse of the year . arrogate and songbird were also finalists for horse of the year , earning 40 votes and five votes , respectively . highland reel received one vote .
while beholder will have to replace racing instincts with maternal ones , songbird most assuredly will replace beholder as the best female horse in north america , if not the world .
this entry was posted in nl list , racing and tagged fox hill farm , horse racing , rick porter , songbird , thoroughbred by paulick report staff . bookmark the permalink .
while arrogate and songbird didn’t get horse of the year they did easily win in their own divisions . arrogate was named champion three - year - old male with 243 first - place votes while songbird was the unanimous choice as champion three - year - old filly .
scroll down allyson walker’s very horse - centric instagram page and there’s a photo of walker , beaming , in a white riding helmet and jeans and sitting atop a bay race horse . the caption reads : “big win first time out for this magical filly # songbird…so lucky to get to ride her all winter…”
expect big odds if you do back songbird to beat those two exceptional mares .
stellar wind and songbird . saying their names alone can bring about a smile .
young blood ; it ' s as rare in horse racing as a triple crown winner . the youth in this sport…
at the annual eclipse awards , 2014 kentucky derby and preakness winner california chrome was named 2014 horse of the year .
“it’s a once in a lifetime experience in the horse business . it’s very difficult to ever get a horse like that , and have the opportunity to have one like that , and to cherish all the time with her was just outstanding . ”
a horse owner and graduate of depaul university , brian lives just outside of louisville with his wife candice and daughter kendra .
extremely engaging article about songbird and bill . it left me wanting to read more !
songbird | mike e . smith | jerry hollendorfer | fox hill farms , inc .
even more startling was the show pool . a winning show ticket comes when the horse you bet finishes in the top 3 .
photography – tod marks – “george & john sloan hurdle , ” chronicle of the horse , untacked ; may 14 , 2016 .
songbird runs away from the competition in the breeders ' cup juvenile fillies . order this photo
beholder edges songbird in the 2016 breeders ' cup distaff . eclipse sportswire / breeders’ cup photo©
she’s hoping to keep that incredible streak alive on friday , in the breeders’ cup distaff at santa anita park in california . songbird is the 6 - to - 5 morning - line favourite in the eight - horse field .
“i thought we would see the real songbird today , but we didn ' t see it . just want to make sure it is not something physical which i would do with any good horse . i always do that . ”
both of 2009 horse of the year rachel alexandra’s only two offspring – rachel’s valentina and jess’s dream – won their racing debuts at saratoga .
in the 2008 derby , where she finished second and then broke down after the wire . he also ran his 2011 horse of the year
two - time eclipse champion songbird has been retired from racing , it was announced thursday morning .
trained songbird has been since making her career debut on july 26 , 2015 at del mar .
2015 will go down as one of the most historic years in american horse racing history , as it was the year that marked the end of the 37 - year triple crown drought . throughout 2015 , we watched as a sports legend was made in american pharoah – a horse who became a national celebrity , putting horse racing in the spotlight . although his accomplishments were certainly the main highlights of the year , several other great moments occurred in u . s . horse racing this year , so let’s look at some of those – broken down month by month .
“exaggerator is a special horse , ” big chief racing ' s matt bryan said . “he took us on the ride of our lives . ”
another thing that makes songbird an attractive derby proposition is that she ' s a daughter of medaglia d ' oro , who sired that famous shatterer of glass ceilings rachel alexandra , the 2009 preakness ( g1 ) winner and horse of the year .
the race was billed as a three - horse clash between the songbird , beholder and stellar wind . the narrative quickly changed as stellar wind got a dreadful break and just didn ' t have enough time to make up for the lost time .
even in defeat , songbird jockey mike smith , had enough compliments to fill a large feed bucket .
“it was nice to get that race out of the way . no matter how good your horse is , you’ll always be a little bit anxious .
in one of the most highly anticipated showdowns of the year , champion shared belief defeated 2014 horse of the year california chrome in the san antonio handicap .
picking a female to win the horse of the year award is always a risky proposition , but as good as songbird is , much of the risk falls by the wayside . let ' s look forward to another big year for the fox hill farm superstar .
songbird was named in honor of the late singer eva cassidy , a favorite of her owner ' s .
songbird might own the future , but beholder cemented her role as one of the greatest female horses ever .
mike smith has been aboard for all four of songbird’s starts to date and has the call once again .
from the 10 hole , we knew we had to get a good break , but mike said this was the longest jump she ' s ever had to make to get into position on the first turn , that was the key ,
owner rick porter said .
i knew we had the best horse going in , but the problem is , i ' ve had the best horse in races before . . . the best horse doesn ' t always win .
it has also been reported by the bloodhorse that songbird will be offered at the fasig - tipton november sale .
songbird held off a determined challenge from martini glass to win the grade i delaware handicap at delaware park saturday .
california - based , songbird had to deal with a sultry afternoon with the heat - index approaching 90 degrees .
with the grandstand cheering for her upon her return from the gallop out , songbird had the demeanor of a horse still untouched by defeat . the image that played out before smith ' s eyes told him different , but the result was the only thing his champion mount lost .
in her personal horse experience , mary has been around horses all her life and has won several appaloosa national champion and reserve world champion titles in the show ring .
the other big news on saturday was songbird losing to forever unbridled in the personal ensign . i discussed how i didn’t believe songbird had improved from her three - year - old season to her four - year - old season .
over the winter , songbird had bone bruising and a specific area was very slow to heal . she was finally cleared to return , but the three races from songbird this year weren’t what we expected from the bigger , stronger , and smarter songbird . there were so many variables with her long layoff , shipping , tiring tracks , going 1 1 / 4 miles , and more , we were never sure which of the variables may explain what wasn’t quite songbird .
girvin finished 11th out of 12 entrants in the 2017 travers stakes . the only horse he beat was fayeq , whom jockey luis saez pulled up shortly after the break .
“it is hard to see her go , ” hollendorfer told the tdn . “i’ve been blessed and grateful to train a horse like songbird . no one in our barn or that has ever been around her will ever forget her . we wish her the best in her new future . ”
“it is all songbird , ” is a phrase horse racing fans have become used to hearing . the three - year - old filly won each of her eleven starts before losing by a nose to beholder in the breeders’ cup distaff . though it was the first time songbird did not make a trip to the winner’s circle , it could not be considered a disappointment after all the magnificent filly has accomplished .
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this entry was posted in racing and tagged curlin , exaggerator , horse racing , keith desormeaux , preakness stakes , thoroughbred , winstar farm by press release . bookmark the permalink .
over the winter , songbird had bone bruising and a specific area was very slow to heal . she was finally cleared to return , but the three races from songbird this year weren ' t what we expected from the bigger , stronger , and smarter songbird . there were so many variables with her long layoff , shipping , tiring tracks , going 1 1 / 4 miles , and more , we were never sure which of the variables may explain what wasn ' t quite songbird .
i don ' t think i ' ll ever have another horse like this ,
said owner b . wayne hughes .
i ' m very grateful to be part of it . i really compliment richard . i don ' t know of any trainer that could have taken a horse for six years and done what he ' s done .
, carina mia was no match despite her best efforts , and songbird went on to win by open lengths yet again .
songbird has a perfect record from nine starts , with five grade i victories and earnings exceeding $ 2 . 4 million .
songbird quickly graduated to workouts on lynwood’s track , and from the get - go demonstrated that speed came easily to her .
jockey mike smith , another hall of famer who’s been aboard for all 11 starts , will ride songbird in the distaff .
neither horse would give in . some thought beholder , who had lost three in a row and was defeated by stellar wind twice this year , was a shade past her prime .
horse racing has a way of tempering any high moment with a low one . corona del inca , an argentine import running her first race in the united states , broke down near the top of the stretch in the eight - horse race . the 5 - year - old suffered a fracture of her right foreleg and after examination at the equine hospital was killed .
songbird ' s experimental free handicap rating of 125 pounds was the highest given to a juvenile filly since countess diana in 1997 .
drew morisch , aka “drew mo” or the “bloghorse , ” has been an avid sports fan since he was born . growing up in nebraska , it was easy for him to fall in love with football and horse racing . he became a huge horse racing fan by attending ak - sar - ben race track before its gates closed ( sadly ) for the last time in 1995 .
bred in kentucky by john antonelli , songbird has won all four of her races and $ 1 , 502 , 000 to date . no horse has finished closer to her than 4 1 / 2 lengths , the margin by which she finished in front of land over sea in the chandelier stakes ( gr . i ) .
hall of famer john velazquez said he didn ' t want to take songbird on with rachel ' s valentina in the early going .
“cracker” started her jumping career in ireland , winning at dublin horse show as an eight - year - old before taking victories in the irish national pony championships and the 128cm grand prix at cavan .
if bob could get a horse to the derby , he used to do everything he could to run the horse in the kentucky derby . i suppose after you win a triple crown , it doesn’t really matter much to win the kentucky derby . this is 2 years in a row where bob has left his best three - year - old on the bench until after the triple crown races .
it was the second horse of the year title for california chrome . during his sophomore season in 2014 , the son of lucky pulpit captured the kentucky derby ( g1 ) , preakness stakes ( g1 ) , santa anita derby ( g1 ) and hollywood derby ( g1 ) . that was enough for him to earn the titles of horse of the year and champion three - year - old male .
it was songbird ' s fourth straight graded win ( the other three were all grade i ) and fifth win overall for trainer jerry hollendorfer .
but a little less than an hour before the cream of this year’s crop of three - year - old colts heads to the starting gate , the horse that is arguably the best three - year - old in the country will get the spotlight , when the filly songbird goes for her 11th straight win in the grade i , $ 1 million cotillion .
california chrome ruled the night at the 2016 eclipse award ceremony at gulfstream park on saturday evening . the talented and popular chestnut was honored as both the horse of the year and champion older dirt male of 2016 .
millie’s father peter told h & h the pony came as “one of a pair” — the other being the equally talented flinor songbird ( “bambi” ) .
consigned to the 2014 saratoga sale by hill ‘n’ dale sales agency , songbird was a $ 400 , 000 buy for rick porter’s fox hill farm .
pint - sized showjumper mathews girl , whose cv boasts numerous wins at horse of the year show ( hoys ) , olympia and pony of the year show to name but a few , will enjoy a quieter life .
“it’s hard to explain the feeling . she just gives you goose bumps and you just wonder ‘how did i get this horse ? ’ i don’t think i’ve ever had one that’s so dominant and does things so easily .
rounding the far turn , rosario gave forever unbridled her cue and angled her three - wide to go after songbird . easily putting away going for broke , forever unbridled had dead aim on songbird straightening for home . eskenformoney was running a big one at the rail , but never appeared a legitimate threat to win the race . songbird burst away at the head of the lane , but forever unbridled was making her run down the center of the stretch .
drew has other passions to go along with horse racing . he is a big nebraska cornhuskers fan . you will usually find him tailgating at some undisclosed location on game days . drew loves crunching numbers and analyzing data . whether it’s pe ratios on stocks , speed figures in horse racing , or assist - to - turnover ratios in basketball , there is no such thing as too much information in his book . drew also plays fantasy sports .
at the quarter pole i thought that i might win the race , but i was second best today ,
leparoux said .
at that one point , i thought i got her but ( songbird ) switched on again . songbird is a champion . champions are supposed to do that .
coming from off the lead , as was his wont , tonalist surged to win the belmont by a head , once again over commissioner , to end eventual two - time horse of the year california chrome’s triple crown bid .
jockey edgard zayas aboard gunnevera felt how slow the pace was . zayas moved gunnevera to within third place by the mile marker . but , because the pace was so slow , zayas couldn’t get his horse past west coast .
the most disappointing horse to me was haskell invitational winner girvin . the joe sharp trainee had finished second to irap in the ohio derby before beating irish war cry and timeline in the haskell . i expected a top effort .
bred in kentucky by john antonelli , songbird sold to rick porter’s fox hill farm for $ 400 , 000 as a fasig - tipton saratoga selected yearling .
al maktoum challenge round 1 ( g2 ) – le bernardin las virgenes s . ( g2 ) – songbird endeavor s . ( g3 ) – tepin santa ysabel s . ( g3 ) – songbird gulfstream park h . ( g2 ) – blofeld hillsborough s . ( g2 ) – tepin santa anita s . ( g1 ) – songbird bay shore s . ( g3 ) – unified jenny wiley s . ( g1 ) – tepin churchill distaff turf mile s . ( g2 ) – tepin peter pan s . ( g2 ) – unified woody stephens s . ( g2 ) – tom’s ready queen anne s . ( g1 ) – tepin summertime oaks ( g2 ) – songbird cca oaks ( g1 ) – songbird clement l . hirsch s . ( g1 ) – stellar wind
songbird ( 5 ) holds off martini glass ( 2 ) to win the 2017 grade i , $ 750 , 000 delaware handicap at delaware park on saturday .
songbird | j . larry jones | jerry hollendorfer | rick porter | fox hill farms , inc . | saratoga race course | alabama | alabama ( 2016 )
songbird dominated on the dirt during her 2015 season , culminating in a 5 3 / 4 - length score in the breeders’ cup juvenile fillies ( g1 ) .
songbird was exclusively piloted by mike smith and earned $ 1 , 502 , 000 to go along with her perfect four - for - four mark in 2015 .
songbird will be facing older fillies and mares for the first time when she runs in the $ 2 million longines breeders ' cup distaff on nov . 4 .
mary has always aspired to have a career with horses and since her love for horse racing began , she has dreamed of pursuing a career in the thoroughbred racing industry , possibly as a writer / photographer and marketing / communications specialist .
“this might be the second best horse i’ve ever owned , ” said pompa – who also owned dual classic winner and fasig - tipton - sold yearling big brown – to the saratoga special after connect’s win in the curlin . “early in the year , chad had talked about timing it for this , because he knew this horse was special , we wanted to use this to get a race over the track , let’s hope that we show up for the travers . ”
, songbird is out of grade ii winner ivanavinalot , a granddaughter of forty niner , who was privately purchased by coolmore in 2015 . in addition to songbird , the medagalia d’oro / forty niner cross has produced the likes of hall of famer rachel alexandra , mgisw new money honey and recent gi alabama s . heroine elate .
brian has been a passionate fan of horse racing his entire life . taken to the races at a very young age , he has been lucky enough to see all the greats in person from secretariat , forego , and ruffian through rachel alexandra
while there is some legitimacy to question the list of fillies that songbird has beaten so far , stellar wind has ducked no horse since moving tack to california more than two years ago . there are no more clashes with beholder to be had , like she did in four consecutive affairs in 2017 , but stellar wind has found difficult assignments in both of her tests so far this season . in both the
songbird had the pace her way , leading throughout the entire trek , but posted her slowest half - mile and three - quarter fractions in her past 10 races .
closing weekend at del mar provided plenty of graded stakes competition , but perhaps the most impressive performance was songbird’s 5 ¼ - length triumph in the del mar debutante .
never off the board in seven career starts , cathryn sophia is the second highest - earning filly of her foal crop in 2016 , behind only the incomparable songbird .
the las virgenes is part of the road to the kentucky oaks series of points races and awarded songbird another 10 points to bring her leaderboard total to 40 currently .
that right there is one of the best @ breederscup races you ' ll ever see . songbird and beholder . neither gave an inch . so gutty . # bc16
the connections of songbird have been around the upper echelons of the sport for quite some time , and based on past experience the odds they will be sporting enough to give songbird a shot against males seem good . owner rick porter ( fox hill farm ) campaigned 2011 horse of the year havre de grace , who defeated males in the woodward ( g1 ) and finished fourth in the breeders ' cup classic ( g1 ) . several years earlier , porter raced two kentucky derby runners - up , the colt hard spun ( 2007 ) and the filly eight belles ( 2008 ) .
oh , man . i thought i had it . every exotic bet i had put irap in first or second place . i missed a sweet tri , big win bet , etc . , etc . but , that’s horse racing , right ?
to go 12 for 12 , songbird will have to beat her toughest competition to date , including champions stellar wind and beholder , both 5 - to - 2 picks .
effort after effort , songbird never disappointed . with time to rest and grow at winstar , songbird will likely come back better than ever . her four - year - old season promises a load of excitement after the amount of times she cantered home while her competition furiously chased . her geared down wins were like a tease to her fans .
red ruby and coach rocks , the top two finishers in may ' s black - eyed susan bring their rivalry to delaware park as part of a strong 10 - horse field in saturday ' s grade iii , $ 300 , 000 delaware oaks .
an even odds favorite at some books , justify has won the 2018 belmont stakes and the triple crown , becoming the 13th horse to do so in over a century and making trainer bob baffert the first trainer ever to have won two triple crowns .
third behind beholder and songbird in their epic duel during last year ' s breeders ' cup distaff , forever unbridled turned the tables on songbird with her personal ensign victory . the younger filly had everything her own way on the front end , breaking sharply and coasting along on a three - length lead through fractions of : 24 . 14 , : 47 . 91 and 1 : 12 . 29 , but rosario was biding his time aboard forever unbridled at the rear of the small field , seven lengths behind songbird .
after songbird demolished nine foes to win the 14 hands winery breeders ' cup juvenile fillies ( gr . i ) oct . 31 , porter said that he
wouldn ' t rule out
running songbird in the kentucky derby presented by yum ! brands ( gr . i ) . porter now says :
i ' ve ruled it out .
the 2016 breeders’ cup distaff lived up to its billing . champion beholder vs . champion songbird , the mare vs . filly , a swan song vs . an undefeated season .
with the websites of the blood - horse and t he equine chronicle . she has also had photos published with paulick report and thoroughbred daily news . in addition , she works as one of the social media coordinators for the texas thoroughbred association and is an intern
in the bigger picture , this race represented what to expect for most of the breeders ' cup . little separated the top 10 horses as they thundered toward the finish line and that evenly matched atmosphere is what makes this event unlike anything else in horse racing .
another horse that may just impress , or at least continue to impress , racing fans is barters hill . the six - year - old has nine lifetime runs behind him , winning seven , beaten only once and forced out his last race due to injury .
$ 214 , 674 of the $ 240 , 966 bet in the win pool was placed on songbird , with each $ 2 wager returning $ 2 . 10 to the bettor .
she won four of her first six starts and was considered a serious threat to songbird when they met for the first time at saratoga , in the coaching club american oaks . and for a few strides , carina mia tested last year’s champion , but when they turned for home , songbird turned it on . carina mia was the first to seriously challenge songbird , but she was third in her last race , run at seven furlongs , and stretches out to a mile and a sixteenth here , a distance at which she won over a sloppy track last november . she’s never won beyond a mile on a fast track ( which saturday is expected to be ) , and she has , once again , to deal with songbird .
bob baffert stunned the travers stakes field again . this time , baffert won the race with west coast , a horse whose biggest win to date had been a grade 3 at los alamitos . lest we forget , last year baffert won the midsummer derby with arrogate .
bred in kentucky by john antonelli out of the west acre mare ivanavinalot , songbird was a $ 400 , 000 purchase from the fasig - tipton new york saratoga 2014 select yearling sale .
“i decided to stay away from songbird [ in the stretch ] because i was moving very well today , so i stayed away a little bit and let her run , ” rosario returned . “for a second there i went by songbird and she came back on the inside just kind of keeping us together . then the last 1 / 16th she finished strong and well . ”
jerry brown of thoro - graph also agreed , and believes exaggerator ' s haskell performance towards the end of a long campaign is likely to blame for a tired horse after july : “his ( kentucky ) derby number is right in line , but his haskell cooked him . ”
the first breeders’ cup to be hosted at keeneland was one for the history books . plenty of incredible wins – including liam’s map’s dirt mile , songbird’s juvenile fillies , runhappy’s sprint and tepin’s mile – made for an incredible edition of the two - day event , but the highlight was certainly american pharoah’s breathtaking victory in the breeders’ cup classic . with this win , the triple crown winner became the first winner of what has been dubbed the “grand slam” of horse racing .
newark - area car dealer rick porter ( blue shirt ) celebrates with jockey mike smith ( red & white silks ) after songbird won the grade i delaware handicap at delaware park on saturday .
racing as the biggest favorite in the 80 years of the race at 1 : 9 , songbird figured to be a sure bet to cross the finish line after 1 1 / 4 miles .
after thinking about trying to gain entrance into the derby , which , based on the present points system would require songbird to face males before the derby , porter said the decision was easy .
american pharoah would capture eight grade 1 stakes and nine graded stakes in his career , including the breeders’ cup classic ( g1 ) . the first triple crown winner since 1978 , he also earned horse of the year , eclipse champion 2yo colt , and eclipse champion 3yo colt honors .
quicker fractions and gunnevera might have won the mid - summer derby . still , for a horse that bombed in kentucky and in maryland , gunnevera looked like a boss this past saturday . he managed to beat irap , and had the best shot at getting to the travers winner .
the nation , brian displayed his love for the sport through the development of his horse racing website , which quickly became one of the most popular blogs in the game . his new racing partnership venture , derby day racing , invites more fans to experience the thrill of racehorse ownership .
you know what matters the most ? taking care of songbird ,
hollendorfer said .
forget about trying to win another oaks . those races are very difficult to win and everything has to go perfect for you to get there . things didn ' t go perfect and we ' re not going to get there , but we think we have a great future with songbird .
in the final sixteenth of a mile , songbird appeared to finally catch sight of forever unbridled to her right , dropping down to dig in . forever unbridled had the momentum advantage , and her long , lunging strides helped her to hit the wire just ahead of songbird . the photo finished showed that the final margin of victory was a neck , with eskenformoney several lengths back in third .
with seven grade 1 victories behind her , it’s a clear indication that she should be an exciting watch next year and there’s whispers of songbird going up against males which definitely adds to the excitement .
the other horse got away to an easy lead and i didn ' t want to be the one who got up there and did the dirty work by going head to head ,
he remarked .
my filly ran a great race . we ' re happy with second .
this is a tough place to just step into town—especially when you ' re coming from the west coast . the humidity factor is what it is . the air is so much thicker here . it gets to me as a rider , so i can ' t imagine a horse .
california chrome also earned the ntra moment of the year for his dubai world cup ( uae - g1 ) victory on march 26 at meydan . he is the first two - time horse of the year to win in non - consecutive years since john henry did so in 1981 and 1984 .
songbird ( medaglia d ' oro ) and jockey mike smith win the ogden phipps ( gr i ) at belmont park 6 / 10 / 17 . trainer : jerry hollendorfer . owner : fox hill farm
songbird , with mike smith aboard , blazes to victory in last year ' s breeders ' cup juvenile fillies at keeneland . they ' re back for more in friday ' s distaff at santa anita .
us racing contributors laura pugh and ryan dickey recap the big weekend races and discuss the amazing songbird , who stayed undefeated with another big win in the summertime oaks at santa anita on sat . . .
we don ' t know when yet , but there will come a day soon enough when songbird and stellar wind will meet , and unlike the bad break of the latter in last year ' s distaff , it will come down to a fair test of the sensational cruising speed of the four - year - old filly against the relentless , methodical rally of the five - year - old mare . it ' s a match - up which i cannot wait to see . may the best horse win .
while he can’t pick an exact moment that he knew she was something special , his humble personality has me thinking otherwise . bill’s emphasis on giving babies a solid foundation makes all of the difference in how they develop into racehorses . “look , ” he stated “ there are good horsemen everywhere… but it takes a good horse to make a good horseman . ” after giving credit to the animals he trains , bill left me with a piece of advise that an old trainer told him when he was younger : “a good horse is like a gun : dangerous in anyone’s hands ; ” and right he is .
vanderbilt h . ( g1 ) – rock fall haskell invitational s . ( g1 ) – american pharoah torrey pines s . ( g3 ) – stellar wind del mar debutante s . ( g1 ) – songbird summer s . ( g2 ) – conquest daddyo chandelier s . ( g1 ) – songbird vosburgh s . ( g1 ) – rock fall first lady s . ( g1 ) – tepin jockey club gold cup ( g1 ) – tonalist breeders’ cup juvenile fillies ( g1 ) – songbird breeders’ cup mile ( g1 ) – tepin breeders’ cup classic ( g1 ) – american pharoah cigar mile h . ( g1 ) – tonalist
songbird was produced from grade ii - placed listed stakes winner ivanavinalot , a daughter of the unraced forty niner horse west acre and a half sister to multiple stakes winner shananie ' s beat ( by shananie ) and stakes winner slick lady ( by unreal zeal ) . ivanavinalot is also a half sister to stakes - placed beaties for real ( by unreal zeal ) , dam of grade iii winners friel ' s for real and ryan ' s for real and listed stakes winner little thunder ( all by sword dance )
songbird will go to taylor made until the fasig - tipton november sale to be held in lexington nov . 6 . porter has enjoyed many good results at that auction , selling mgisw round pound ( awesome again ) to darley for $ 5 . 75 million in 2007 ; horse of the year havre de grace ( saint liam ) to mandy pope’s whisper hill farm for a record $ 10 million in 2012 ; and grade i winner joyful victory ( tapit ) to aaron and marie jones for $ 2 million in 2013 .
i don ' t think it ' s any disgrace or embarrassment to run second to songbird ,
mott said .
we tried her and we had our chance , and we have no excuse .
take , for example , champion two - year old and eclipse award winning filly , songbird . before all of her starts on the track , it took a top notch trainer to give her the right foundation .
undefeated ‘tdn rising star’ songbird ( medaglia d’oro ) made her first trip to the saratoga main track friday morning , a handful of hours after arriving in upstate new york ahead of sunday’s gi coaching club american oaks .
well , those clamoring for the undefeated and unchallenged songbird to step it up a notch finally got what we wanted . on father’s day , sunday afternoon , owner rick porter announced to the daily racin . . .
after his most recent success in g1 jenny wiley stakes winner dickinson , a total of seventeen sons or daughters of medaglia d’oro have won the highest level , including champion american filly songbird ( stakes winner number 78 ) who was named eclipse champion two - year - old of 2015 . like her paternal half - sister and horse of the year rachel alexandra , truly another for the ages . most stallions could only hope to get one hall of fame runner but to get two of this calibre in a career is almost unprecedented .
attending the university of north texas , where she is a journalism major with a concentration in advertising and a minor in marketing . with this blog , she hopes to show readers horse racing through the eyes of a young fan and transport you to some of racing ' s biggest events through her photos and words .
you are able to bet this year ' s belmont stakes from oklahoma online with an internationally licensed racebook as well as the us - based horse racing sites like twinspires , though they will require you to submit your social security number and report all winnings to the irs ( international sites like betphoenix will not ) .
regarding champion songbird , it was just the second loss of her 15 - race career . trainer jerry hollendorfer said his plans are most likely to take her back to california to being preparations for the breeders ' cup .
if anyone thought that somehow , by virtue of champion songbird’s defection from friday’s $ 1 million kentucky oaks ( gi ) due to illness , that the race lost its luster , nothing could be further from . . .
host derek simon of us racing recaps the “super saturday” kentucky derby prep races , along with the spectacular debut of enola gray and the not - so - spectacular santa anita oaks win by songbird . lat . . .
is another horse likely to be in the spotlight next year . the three - year - old filly boasts an incredible record winning each of her eleven starts . it’s possible that she’ll take the eclipse award as champion three - year - old filly having won the accolade for eclipse champion two - year - old filly .
dan ward , assistant to jerry hollendorfer , who trains songbird for rick porter ' s fox hill farm , is a human version of equibase , up to speed on research , which in this instance bodes well for songbird : “just look at the past results of the distaff , ” ward said . “ten three - year - olds have won it and most were facing older for the first time , so it ' s a good gauge .
well , remember that colt you watched train at churchill last fall ?
vance said .
there ' s no horse on the grounds who can beat him . he was second first time out , and i ' m gonna run him again pretty soon . watch him and let me know what you think .
“not many people can say they got to work with an animal like songbird , ” said walker . “i just hope she comes back sound , happy . but i do hope she goes out there and kicks butt . ”
i know we’re doing the right thing ,
porter said .
stuff happens in this game and all i want to do is make sure she’s 100 % and we have the same songbird when she gets back .
unfortunately , the results weren’t what we wanted to see . we have a situation where it’d be dangerous for songbird to continue training , and dr . bramlage isn’t optimistic that the site will fully resolve even if given ample time .
beholder paid $ 8 . 60 to win , $ 3 . 60 to place and $ 3 . 00 to win . songbird returned $ 3 . 20 and $ 2 . 80 while forever unbridled paid $ 4 . 40 .
songbird is not the only champion walker has had the chance to work with . she was hired by iconic thoroughbred conditioner d . wayne lukas to ride will take charge and take charge brandi in the summer of 2014 at saratoga .
with expectations high as she soared into her sophomore year , songbird did not disappoint , knocking down seven consecutive graded stakes races – four of which were grade 1events – and never finished less than 3 lengths ahead of her competitors .
after songbird romped in the santa anita oaks for her seventh win in as many lifetime starts on saturday , social media , as it is wont to do , went crazy , proclaiming the daughter of medaglia d’oro th . . .
“when you’re an owner , and you have the horse in any kind of race and you’re a big favorite , then there’s more pressure on you , ” pompa said . “he was a big favorite in the cigar mile , so we knew he belonged there . and then for him to perform and to win was extremely satisfying . ”
“we’re fortunate enough that most of the people that i buy for , they’re not my clients , they’re my friends , ” young said . “when you have a horse that you pay that kind of money for come to fruition on the racetrack , it makes everything worth the effort and the time , and it’s very , very special . ”
“we could not be more excited to add another classic winner of the caliber of exaggerator to the winstar stallion roster , ” said elliott walden , winstar president & ceo . “he is a sound horse that passes all physical exams , but as the only 3 - year - old to test all the triple crown races and summer classics , he ' s a horse that is asking us for a rest . the fact he remains sound after 15 big - time starts in the last 16 months is a testament to his ability , consistency , fortitude , and class . he is an extreme racehorse – a tough , durable throwback to the old days , like his sire curlin . ”
songbird cleared the field with ease from post 6 , clicked off fractions of : 23 . 63 , : 47 . 01 , and 1 : 10 . 99 through six furlongs and finished the mile in 1 : 36 . 84 .
all told , it was always going to take a special effort to beat songbird , who ' d won the first 11 races of her career in often dominant fashion . it doesn ' t get much more special than that finish .
trained by jerry hollendorfer and ridden by mike smith for the entirety of her stellar career , songbird won 13 of 15 races , with nine of those wins being grade is , and retires with earnings of $ 4 , 692 , 000 .
while songbird ' s 2017 has just begun , stellar wind is one race deeper into the season . a five - year - old season that looks to take all the success she has enjoyed the past few seasons , one step farther .
“i really have to take my hat off to him , he rode a tremendous race , ” said songbird ' s jockey mike smith of rosario . “maybe i should have gone out to him a bit , but she ran hard today . ”
“this is a race songbird will really have to run to win , ” smith said , “but in saying that , i think she ' s ready for it . i certainly wouldn ' t trade places with anybody , i know that . ”
i didn ' t want to have to move that early ,
smith said .
if that didn ' t happen , i probably wind up on the winning end . but that ' s horse racing—you have to beat them all . you can ' t just beat them whenever you want . it was just a gallant effort on both parts .
“it’s always nice to be at a big meet like saratoga , ” hollendorfer commented . “we’re having our big summer meet out at del mar and that is important to us , too . but it’s important to have a horse come here and run , and if you can do well here , i think that is well - regarded in the racing community . ”
i feel that irap was a victim of the pace as well . irap is fast enough to run on the lead . he probably should have gone right to the lead or at least force west coast into faster fractions . although he closed willingly , he appeared to give up in mid - stretch after realizing that he wasn’t going to catch the baffert horse .
songbird opened up by as much as 10 lengths in galloping fashion before being geared down in the stretch to be 6 1 / 2 lengths clear on the wire in a final time of 1 : 36 . 84 for a mile on the fast dirt .
this entry was posted in breeders ' cup and tagged beholder , breeders ' cup distaff , dan ward , fox hill farm , jerry hollendorfer , mike smith , rick porter , songbird , stellar wind by ed golden / santa anita . bookmark the permalink .
songbird returned $ 2 . 40 , $ 2 . 20 , and $ 2 . 10 while land over sea brought $ 4 . 20 and $ 3 . 20 at odds of 9 - 1 . right there paid $ 4 at 24 - 1 , as
, songbird was a $ 400 , 000 purchase by fox hill at the 2014 fasig - tipton saratoga yearling sale when consigned by hill ' n ' dale sales agency . the chandelier win improved her earnings from those three straight wins to $ 402 , 000 .
“there is an ancient proverb that says all good things must come to an end . today , fox hill farm announces that something that was very good for us , and very good for racing , has come to an end — the racing career of songbird .
unfortunately , the results weren ' t what we wanted to see . we have a situation where it ' d be dangerous for songbird to continue training , and dr . bramlage isn ' t optimistic that the site will fully resolve even if given ample time .
on friday afternoon at santa anita park in arcadia , california , beholder faced two other champions : stellar wind , last year’s three - year - old eclipse winner , and the undefeated songbird , who won the two - year - old filly eclipse last year .
in the breeders ' cup distaff ( g1 ) , is high expectation alone . but porter is a sporting man and a planning man , and to that end he has mapped out a
perfect - world
scenario for songbird that will have fans of the
for her owner , who continues to undergo treatment for cancer , songbird has been a brilliant spot during a dark personal challenge . not only is she a cinch to pick up her second eclipse award after her champion juvenile filly title in 2015 , but she joins
“first of all , we had no expectations of winning , but we wanted to go and try , and we thought that she’d done everything we wanted her to do , and it would be a great opportunity to take an american horse over there and run and perform well . but to win was simply amazing . i mean it was just unexpected , and a great trial . ”
there was 6 - year - old beholder , in her last race , and 3 - year - old songbird , just getting started and undefeated in 11 tries , trading the lead side - by - side until the final stride when beholder barely pushed in front .
tepin’s next appointment was oversees at royal ascot , where she represented the united states with aplomb as she bested colts and won the queen anne s . ( g1 ) – the first american - based horse to do so . hopping from the united kingdom to canada , tepin won her second consecutive race outside of the united states when taking the woodbine mile ( g1 ) by ½ length .
“we believed in this horse from the very beginning , ” said trainer keith desormeaux . “he is an outstanding individual with class and looks , and he ' s by a top sire in curlin . he checked all the boxes for me when i bought him as a yearling . exaggerator had a tremendous racing career , and it ' s rewarding that he lived up to our expectations . ”
medaglia d ' oro made his first start on dec . 7 at turfway park and finished second , breaking from the 12 post . shortly after the race , vance packed up shop and headed for oaklawn park . in february , reid showed up looking for a new derby horse for frankel after labamta babe suffered an injury following an impressive victory in the santa catalina stakes ( gr . ii ) .
of course , the question is will her connections pursue next year ' s first leg of the triple crown or stay conservative and keep songbird among her own sex . there are plusses and minuses to both options , but here ' s my take at this very early stage .
porter , who underwent a long battle with lymphoma during songbird’s campaign , but recently announced he is in remission , continued , “they mean a lot to you when you have them so it’s hard to compare . if you had them all at once maybe you could compare them . i can’t think of any horse that has given me more excitement , though i’ve had excitement from a lot of horses . she was something awful special . she obviously meant a lot to me and my family and we enjoyed racing her . she kept my mind off some things when i was going through my health issues . as a racehorse , she couldn’t have meant more to me than anything . ”