Songbird Logs Drill at Santa Anita Park

Songbird worked five furlongs on Santa Anita Park's main track in 1:01 July 2 in preparation for her East Coast summer campaign.

"The clockers gave her 1:01. I got her in (1:00.85), and she galloped out very nicely and very easily," trainer Jerry Hollendorfer said, emphasizing the word "very" on both occasions.

Regular rider Mike Smith was scheduled to work Songbird, but exercise rider Edgar Rodriguez deputized for the Hall of Fame jockey when he was involved in a minor mishap on another worker shortly after the main track opened, around 5:10 a.m. PT.

"Mike was going to work her, but he had a problem this morning," Hollendorfer said. "I told him he shouldn't work the horse if he wasn't 100 percent, and he agreed."

Hollendorfer reinforced earlier reports for the undefeated champion's summer plans for Delaware-based owner Rick Porter, who campaigns as Fox Hill Farms.

"We're looking at the Delaware Handicap (gr. I, July 16) and we're looking at the Coaching Club American Oaks (gr. I, at Saratoga Race Course July 24), and we definitely want to run in the Alabama (gr. I, Aug. 20)," Hollendorfer said. "So what the first race is, we don't know yet."

The $750,000 Delaware Handicap at 1 1/4 miles is for fillies and mares, 3-years-old and older. The $300,000 Coaching Club American Oaks is at 1 1/8 miles, and the $600,000 Alabama will be decided 1 1/4 miles.