Undefeated champion Songbird (Medaglia d'Oro) continued her progress towards the Aug. 20 GI Alabama S. Tuesday morning, drilling five-eighths of a mile in 1:00.64 with exercise rider Edgar Rodriguez in the irons.
After making a stop in the Saratoga paddock, the 'TDN Rising Star' made her way to the main track and galloped out six panels in 1:13 2/5, seven furlongs in 1:26 flat and a mile in 1:39 3/5.
“She took off the pole really smooth and easy,” said Christina Jelm, assistant to trainer Jerry Hollendorfer. “She almost loped off the pole. That's why Jerry likes to have Edgar breeze her; he breaks off nice and easy and slow and just lets her build momentum on her own. That's what we did today. Edgar did a perfect job.”
Original plans called for the Fox Hill Farms runner to breeze Wednesday or Thursday, but her work was moved up with the threat of wet weather ahead.
“It's looking like [it will] rain late tonight and tomorrow morning, so we thought this was the safest bet,” said Jelm. “And, with the way she has been training, she was ready to work. She wanted to do something.”
A $400,000 graduate of the 2014 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale, Songbird is a perfect nine-for-nine in her career, her most recent victory coming in the GI Coaching Club American Oaks July 24. Songbird's yearling half-sister by Ghostzapper was knocked down to PTK LLC for $800,000 during Monday's opening session of the Saratoga sale.
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