I live about 30 minutes from dp and come to the live meet every year. I was there yesterday to watch history in the making and got my gift shop baseball cap autographed by mike smith and some of the local jockeys! The last time i saw mike smith at dp was in 2013 when royal delta romped in this same race!
Jerry knows what he has and doesn't duck anyone. He shipped Blind Luck to Saratoga. She has one "head bob" loss to an Eclipse award winning mare when she was 3. Second race off the long lay off, probably about 80% cranked up.
John Householder: How ironic, given that Songbird even fully 'cranked up' would have finished a well-beaten third in the Delaware Handicap behind Blind Luck and Havre de Grace.
Oh My Lord... Look at all the haters on here that really need to STFU... First off... That was her 2nd Grade 1 race this year with a 750 thousand dollar purse. I don't fault or blame Mr. Porter for running his horse in the race with the BIGGER purse. To me that is not considered "Ducking" anyone. Stellar Wind had the same opportunity to compete in the same exact races that Songbird did. Plus this race ( Delaware Handicap) has a close place true and dear to his heart. Delaware Park is where he pretty much grew up. Plus after seeing the loss of his horse Jostle, and then the Major Heart Breaker when Havre de Grace got nosed at the wire to Blind Luck I really dont care who Song Bird beat today to win this edition of the race. Its not her fault the other horses didnt show up to run against her. She can only face whats in front of her. She didnt stay in hiding at California. She traveled cross country to seek out the more prestigious races and in a race or 2 when she faces the boys its best if you Haters from the Hellen Keller School of Handicapping just keep your Diarrhea Mouths on the off position cause your stupidity is really making our country look more brain dead then it already is.. And other then that HAVE A NICE DAY😁😁😁
Sounds a little rascists toward the I-talians to me. Whats wrong with being a bookie? The windows at the track are nothing more than legalize bookies. Grow up.
Why y'all being so hard on her??? Pinheads are so afraid of distance races. They let Mike and her get comfy on the front... Give her the credit she deserves. Won didn't she?!
Yall do realize this is a handicap. They put different weights on different level horses based on past performances. Songbird was carrying 7lbs more than any other horse in the field. That's why Martini Glass got so close in the stretch. Not to forget, she's been out of TRAINING for 7 months prior! Give her a break. It's a bigger purse and her owner, not trainer, forced this race on her for sentimental reasons and money. It'll be a few more months until she's back like she was, fitness wise last year. Even Smith said her last race tired her out a lot. This race wasn't going to be easy no matter the field quality. She's a great filly but she needs more time so I'm hoping they'll step down into G2 or G3 her next race so she can just ease back in and be ready for Breeders Cup.
This "handicap" crap has got to stop. This had a place in the game 30-50 years ago but not anymore. How very socialistic to try to make the race "more fair"? Since when did Usain Bolt have to wear ankle weights because he is so much faster than everybody else?
frank ludwin Fine with me if they phase out handicaps (and I can remember Forego carrying approaching 140 pounds) but then, I'm not a bettor. Betting is why the sport traditionally has had handicaps; the tracks would prefer many or all the horses to be competitive. Racing is the only sport with open gambling. That's why we don't put weights on Usain Bolt.
" Racing is the only sport with open gambling?" Evidently you have never been to a Nevada casino SPORTS book. They accept wagers on almost EVERY sport. Its a multi billion dollar a year BUSINESS.
Actually, I am aware of that. Did not express myself well, I must admit. But those other sports are not being directly supported on/by that gambling, in the way horse racing is. That's what I was referring to. So far as I am aware, the income of Vegas gambling does not go directly to the teams, arenas, sports owners, etc.; only indirectly, by increasing fan interest, does gambling support those other sports. Horse racing, otoh, has historically largely had to support itself on gambling.
AnnaNicolesDeathbed The race was not at Toga. But regardless....2:04 is really slow. I hope I'm wrong and I find out the track variant was a 32 and it was quicksand, but it looked pretty fast to me. No chance to beat Stellar Wind or even Unique Bella/Paradise Woods/or bafferts filly in the Distaff in a few months looking like she did today.
AnnaNicolesDeathbed Hopefully she picks up things. Last year in the Alabama she unloaded a similar race. Very very slow times, and she followed it up with a very game couple of races. She's a nosehair faster in the distaff over beholder and she's probably retired undefeated right now. Hopefully she gets it together for November
This "handicap" crap has got to stop. This had a place in the game 30-50 years ago but not anymore. How very socialistic to try to make the race "more fair"? Since when did Usain Bolt have to wear ankle weights because he is so much faster than everybody else?
I love people who dislike songbird higher her odds when she faces stellar wind. Oh wait why is she still gonna be like 1/2 when she does cause internet is for trolls and trolls don't put there money where there mouth goes.
1-1/4 Grade 1 race for fillies and mares. Don't see them often. Even BC Distaff is only 1-1/8. She hasn't really been tested in her 1st 2 races until the very end and she's responded well after setting soft fractions. I wouldn't write her off yet as losing a stride because we've all seen what she is capable of doing. In saying that I'm anxious, and hopeful, we get to see a Songbird/Stellar Wind matchup in this years BC Distaff.
How many Grade 1 races would Songbird have won if she had to regularly face an opponent like Inside Information or Azeri, or even Havre de Grace or Blind Luck?
She was carrying more weight thats why the race is called a handicap. I agree her prefer distance may not be 10F but she definitely did not lose a step and is the best horse in the nation besides arrogate at 9F and ill take her against anyone. Besides its only her second race this year she has time to be songbird the great!
Slow fractions and actually needed to be whipped vigorously to survive against overmatched opposition. Not going to say she's slipping because she was laying a ton of weight but the next race should give that answer.
Only Champions like Songbird win with more weight. Unlike Arrogate who needs less or equal Weights to Win. but people don't know about lil things like this.
"She's ducking ____"... "She can only beat weak opposition"... She's never ducked anyone lool. What's stopping connections of the horses she supposedly can't beat from putting their horses in the races where she's going? Seems these days there's more jabs at Songbird than praise. She's 13 of 14 lifetime with her only loss by a flared nostril to the great Beholder. Sure her performances this year haven't been eye catching but she's won them both and a Grade 1 is a Grade 1. Admittedly she has to improve to beat the very best when the time comes but I think she's capable. We'll just have to see.
Rick Legend: Imagine Inside Information, Sharp Cat, Riboletta, or Zenyatta in this race. Then try to convince yourself that Songbird could defeat any of them.
No wonder Songbird is ducking Stellar Wind like her life is depending on it. After performances like this, her only hope might be to avoid the better 3 year old fillies and the 2-3 older mares that are great. Maybe 4 horse fields in lame G3 is her only way to win. How slow can they possibly go?? Unless the track variant for the race was a 30+, that performance is an embarrassment.
She spotted every other jockey 9 to 13 lbs, and she still wired the field going 1 1/4 mile at that garbage racetrack. SB already faced her once in the Breeder's Cup. SW had a bad trip, but she was still beaten. They aren't ducking SW. They are chasing the highest purse and its working. Also, she has won NINE Grade 1, two Grade 2, and one Grade 3... PS- that one Grade 3 race was a 9 horse field... ;)
Donald Jarvis III Yea guy, I'm hating on a 4 legged animal. If she popped off a race like West Coast did just a couple hours later that night, I would be saying "wow Songbird is a beast," but that's not the case now is it? She went 24-48-112 and then she CRAWLED home. Safe to say that she has zero chance of beating a mare like Stellar Wind if she looks like this when they clash...if they clash. Odds of a mystery injury and retirement announcement in the next 72 hours is about 80%. "10 furlongs the Achilles heel....." Well she was all out, and fucking 1:37.2 for a mile isn't gonna get it done either.
Are you just going to ignore the 9 to 13 lb handicap at 1 1/4 mile at that shitty Delaware track? AND, she still wired the field. You are just wrong, man.
