Jockey Mike Smith had a very scary prognostication following Songbird’s win in Sunday’s Grade 1 Coaching Club American Oaks at Saratoga. After Songbird held off a furious challenge from Carina Mia the Hall of Fame jockey said that the experience could make the best three year old filly on the planet even better. If he’s right, there’s no telling what she can accomplish.

Songbird went to the front right out of the gate but was pushed hard throughout the early part of the race by Carina Mia. The two horses were dead even midway through the final turn but it’s apparent now that when she’s ‘on her game’ there’s not a filly in the world that can outduel Songbird in a one on one battle. Songbird ‘downshifted’ and left Carina Mia in the dust. The eventual margin of victory was 5 1/4 lengths but it was much tougher than that distance would suggest.

After the race, trainer Jerry Hollendorfer praised his horse with the understatement of the year and said that his team anticipated that jockey Julien Leparoux would send Carina Mia after Songbird from the outset: “She’s real special. We thought we were going to get tested and we thought [jockey] Julien [Leparoux] would send [Carina Mia] at us early, which he did. We got a chance to test our filly and she dug in. Great race from [trainer] Billy [Mott]’s filly, too.”

Saratoga has earned a reputation as the ‘graveyard of champions’. That clearly didn’t apply to Songbird to the amazement of jockey Mike Smith: “I asked her more than I’ve ever had to. I take my hat off to Carina Mia, she made her run a little bit. But once I got going, I was comfortable. 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.”

Songbird won her ninth career race in nine tries. It was also her fifth Grade 1 victory. Next up for Songbird will most likely be the Grade 1 Alabama at Saratoga in late August.