Songbird the grand dame of The Alabama
The prestigious stakes race for 3-year-old fillies is one of the oldest races for females in the United States, with its first edition taking place in 1872 in a race won by August Belmont’s Woodbine. The race was not precisely named in honor of the great state of Alabama; rather, it was named after William Cottrell of Mobile, Ala., who was too modest to have a race named for him personally and requested it be named after his home state. Cottrell, who came to the United States from England during the 1840’s, was an owner and breeder whose Ascension finished 10th in the inaugural Kentucky Derby in 1875 and whose Buchanan won the “Run for the Roses” in 1884. The Alabama has been run at various distances, and was not run in the following years: 189396, 1898-1900, and 1911-12.
If there was a horse that captured the hearts and minds of fans in 2016 it was the 3-year-old dark brown filly named Songbird out of Medaglia D’Oro and Ivanavinalot by West Acre who earned near $5 million over 15 starts in three years, including the 2016 Alabama Stakes.
In 15 starts, Songbird entered the winner’s circle 13 times and on the other two occasions was the second-place finisher.
Songbird won her opening contest, a maiden special weight at DelMar before embarking on an 11-race winning streak including the Santa Anita Oaks, the Coaching Club American Oaks Stakes and the Alabama at Saratoga Race Course. Her streak ended at Santa Anita, finishing second to Beholder by a nose in the 2016 Breeder’s Cup Distaff. He final race, fittingly was her final second-place finish in the Personal Ensign to Forever by a nose at Saratoga Race Course.
A bone chip was discovered and she was retired on Aug. 31, 2017.
Songbird returned to Saratoga in a different circle, the ring at Fasig-Tipton where she was sold for $9.5 million who was billed as the ‘most accomplished broodmare prospect to ever be offered at public auction in North America.’
In January of this year, Songbird delivered a healthy filly by Arrogate at Timber Town Stables in Lexington.