Porter on Songbird: No Means No

Owner Rick Porter saw what everyone else did in the GII Las Virgenes at Santa Anita 11 days ago, a brilliant and ultra-impressive win by his filly Songbird (Medaglia d'Oro). But nothing he saw that afternoon has caused him to change his mind when it comes to running her in the GI Kentucky Derby. In fact, Porter is so adamant about his decision that he did not pay the $600 necessary to make her eligible to the Triple Crown and said yesterday he will also not pay a $6,000 supplemental fee that could still make his filly eligible for the Derby, GI Preakness and the GI Belmont.

“The answer is still no,” Porter said of the Derby. “She won't really be three until April 30. I want to run her in the top filly and mares races first and then, if she's doing great, we might take on the boys later in the 3-year-old year. Otherwise, I can run against the boys as a 4-year-old, if all is well with her. You have to take it one day at a time with these fragile horses. I'm just trying to do the right thing for Songbird and Foxhill Farms and (trainer) Jerry Hollendorfer is really against running against the boys. I will do what I think is best.”