2016 Eclipse Award Champion

Three-Year-Old Filly

Fun at the track - fun in the studio. remember when Songbird was one of the most dominate fillies at the track? Who didn't love Songbird?

Racing fan George Trenich took a photo of Songbird in the stretch of the Ogden Phipps at Belmont . . . and flying right beside Songbird was a friend, another song bird.

Sometimes a photo should just stay a photo and I said that to George but he insisted that he wanted a panting made of his photo . . . yet again, the client was right and I was smart enough to give my opinion and shut up. I really like this very unique painting. It's a wonderful painting of Songbird . . . and it's even more fun as a painting of "Songbird and her Songbird".

Songbird was one of the most dazzling fillies of her generation, a tall and elegant runner who carried herself like a queen on the racetrack. She was foaled in 2013, a daughter of the great sire Medaglia d'Oro out of the mare Ivanavinalot. Rick Porter of Fox Hill Farms bought her as a yearling, and he turned her over to Hall of Fame trainer Jerry Hollendorfer to develop. From the very first time she stepped onto a track, it was clear she was something special.

Songbird debuted in the summer of 2015 and went on a tear that thrilled racing fans across the country. She won her first nine starts in a row, including the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, where she dominated the best young fillies in the land. That performance earned her the 2015 Eclipse Award as Champion 2-Year-Old Filly. As a three-year-old, she kept right on rolling. With jockey Mike Smith in the saddle, she swept through races like the Coaching Club American Oaks and the Alabama Stakes, looking nearly unbeatable.

The most famous race of her career was one she lost. In the 2016 Breeders' Cup Distaff at Santa Anita, Songbird went head to head with the older champion Beholder in a stretch duel for the ages. The two fillies battled side by side for what felt like forever, neither one giving an inch. Beholder got her nose in front right at the wire, but Songbird had earned the respect of every fan watching. She still came home with her second straight Eclipse Award, this time as Champion 3-Year-Old Filly.

Songbird retired with 13 wins from 15 starts and earnings of over $4.6 million. When she went to the Keeneland November sale as a broodmare prospect, Mandy Pope of Whisper Hill Farm bought her for an eye-popping $9.5 million, one of the highest prices ever paid for a racing or breeding filly at public auction. She remains a beloved figure in the sport, remembered for her grace, her grit, and that unforgettable showdown with Beholder.

Sources:

• Songbird (Wikipedia)

• Equibase Songbird profile

• BloodHorse Songbird coverage

Sire Medaglia d'Oro

Grandsire El Prado

Dam Ivanavinalot

Damsire West Acre

Sex Mare

Foaled April 30, 2013

Country United States

Colour Bay

Breeder John Antonelli

Owner Fox Hill Farms Inc

Trainer Jerry Hollendorfer

Record 15: 13-2-0

Earnings $4,692,000[2]

Major wins

Del Mar Debutante Stakes (2015)

Chandelier Stakes (2015)

Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (2015)

Las Virgenes Stakes (2016)

Santa Ysabel Stakes (2016)

Santa Anita Oaks (2016)

Summertime Oaks (2016)

Coaching Club American Oaks (2016)

Alabama Stakes (2016)

Cotillion Stakes (2016)

Ogden Phipps Stakes (2017)

Delaware Handicap (2017)

Awards

American Champion Two-Year-Old Filly (2015)

American Champion Three-Year-Old Filly (2016)

Honors

National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame

(2023)