Final Test for Songbird in Santa Anita Oaks

With six perfect starts to her credit, Fox Hill Farms' Songbird has one more hurdle to clear before heading to Kentucky as the overwhelming favorite for the May 6 Longines Kentucky Oaks (gr. I).

First the champion filly must handle six rivals in the $400,000 Santa Anita Oaks (gr. I) April 9 at Santa Anita Park, a race which, if it goes the way her other starts have gone, should end in a romp.

Winner of last year's Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (gr. I) and the outstanding 2-year-old filly of 2015, Songbird comes off a pair of gate-to-wire wins this season. First she returned to take the Feb. 6 Las Virgenes (gr. II) going a mile by 6 1/2 lengths, then she took the March 5 Santa Ysabel (gr. III) by 3 3/4 lengths. That latest race was run at the Santa Anita Oaks distance of 1 1/16 miles. The closest finisher to her in both starts, Land Over Sea, went out of town to win the March 26 Fair Grounds Oaks (gr. II) by 4 1/2 lengths.

BALAN: Songbird Untouchable in Las Virgenes

BALAN: Songbird Dominates Santa Ysabel

Trainer Jerry Hollendorfer tuned the daughter of Medaglia d'Oro   up for her final Kentucky Oaks prep with a four-furlong move in :46 4/5 April 4 at Santa Anita. She has been ridden in all six starts by Mike Smith and will be piloted by the Hall of Fame jockey Saturday from the rail as the 123-pound highweight. All others will carry 120.

"She's got things figured out at a very young age," Smith said on an NTRA conference call April 2. "Does that mean she'll continue to grow and get even better? That's scary to think about."

While victory over Songbird may seem futile, a runner-up finish here would be enough to send another filly to Kentucky as well. The Santa Anita Oaks is worth points on a 100-40-20-10 scale toward a spot in the Kentucky Oaks starting gate, and 40 points is enough to make the Kentucky Oaks Leaderboard toward the 14-horse field.

While Land Over Sea completed her final Kentucky Oaks prep at Fair Grounds and is now training up to the race at Keeneland, grade II winner Forever Darling takes another spin at the champ.

Two starts back Jan. 2, the Richard Baltas trainee took the 6 1/2-furlong Santa Ynez Stakes (gr. II), but her last effort was a ninth in the Feb. 20 Twinspires.com Rachel Alexandra Stakes (gr. II), and her only other two-turn start saw her finish eighth, 17 1/4 lengths behind Songbird in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies.

BALAN: 'Darling' Follows BC With Santa Ynez Score

Baltas also has maiden winner Mokat, who finished third in the Santa Ysabel last time out.

Another of interest is Bellamentary, trained by Phil D'Amato. The lightly raced daughter of Bellamy Road   appears to be improving and will get the services of leading jockey Rafael Bejarano. A 3 1/2-length maiden special weight winner going a flat mile at Santa Anita Oct. 1, Bellamentary, with Bejarano up, cut back in distance and cruised to a 3 1/4-length score going seven furlongs March 18. Favored in two out of her three starts, she could be fresh and dangerous in her first graded stakes assignment.

The field is completed by Don Alberto Stable's allowance winner Jade Princess, fourth in the Santa Ysabel and fifth in the Las Virgenes; maiden winner Kay Kay; and maiden She's a Warrior.