Santa Anita Stable Notes: Songbird Fires Bullet Work

Unbeaten and unchallenged champion Songbird worked six furlongs in 1:13 flat under regular rider Mike Smith Saturday morning for a possible start in the Grade II Summertime Oaks at 1 1/16 miles on June 18.

The time equaled the fastest of nine drills at the distance with Angels Flight Stakes winner Bellamentary who also was clocked in 1:13 for leading trainer Phil D’Amato. Songbird’s fractional times were 36.40, 48.40 and 1:00.80, with a six furlong gallop-out clocking of 1:28.

“It was a very nice work,” said Jerry Hollendorfer, who trains the daughter of Medaglia d’Oro for Rick Porter’s Fox Hill Farms. “She went off slow, finished up fast and galloped out nice in 1:28.”

Hollendorfer reiterated that the Summertime Oaks “is possible” for her next start.

NYQUIST DUE AT SANTA ANITA LATE SUNDAY

Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist is due to arrive at Santa Anita late Sunday afternoon from Maryland where the two-year-old champion male of 2015 has recovered from a high white blood cell count following his third-place finish in the Preakness on May 21.

“We’ll let him settle in and get him on the track Monday or Tuesday,” said Doug O’Neill, who trains the son of Uncle Mo for Paul and Zillah Reddam. “We’ll kind of play that by ear. Tentatively, he’s due to van in to Santa Anita Sunday from Ontario Airport at five or six p.m.”

Nyquist jogged two miles at Pimlico Saturday morning. “He’s great this morning,” O’Neill assistant Jack Sisterson said in a release issued by Pimlico. “He’s full of energy and kind of dragged us around there and came back to the barn full of energy. We’re happy with the way he went this morning.”

DESORMEAUX RETURNS FROM UTAH ALCOHOL REHAB PROGRAM

Hall of Fame jockey and three-time Kentucky Derby winner Kent Desormeaux issued a brief statement late Saturday morning through his agent J.R. Pegram stating that Desormeaux will return to riding in New York on Thursday, June 9, following a brief stay in an alcohol rehabilitation program at Cirque Lodge in Sundance, Utah.

“It was time to take a sober look at my life and take this step,” said Desormeaux, who is set to ride Santa Anita Derby and Preakness Stakes winner Exaggerator in next Saturday’s Belmont Stakes. According to Pegram, Desormeaux, who last rode at Santa Anita a week ago, May 28, is scheduled to ride this Thursday at Belmont as he’ll pilot Shrinking Violet in the $150,000 Intercontinental Stakes for trainer Wesley Ward.

Desormeaux, 46, notched his second career win in the Santa Anita Derby with Exaggerator on April 9 and rode him to a second place finish in the Kentucky Derby May 7, prior to winning the Preakness on May 21.

ACT MAKES STAKES DEBUT IN SIREN LURE

Act makes his added money debut in Sunday’s $75,000 Siren Lure Stakes for three-year-olds and up at about 6 ½ furlongs on turf.

“He’s coming into the race well,” said Peter Eurton, who trains the five-year-old War Front horse for Lee and Susan Searing, campaigning as C R K Stable. “We wanted to go a mile, but there was nothing else available. With the Siren Lure, he’ll have two races under his belt going into Del Mar, and based on how he runs tomorrow, it will tell me what I want to do with him there.

“Do I wanted to go at a mile or stay at five-eighths (on grass)? It gives me options.”

The field for the Siren Lure, the first of nine races: Hunt, Flavien Prat, 9-5; Miss Double d’Oro, Santiago Gonzalez, 7-2; Toowindytohaulrox, Tiago Pereira, 5-2; Opsec, Martin Garcia, 8-1; and Act, Gary Stevens, 5-2.

FINISH LINES: As expected, Taris was scratched from today’s Vanity Mile, trainer Simon Callaghan opting to wait for the Grade I Triple Bend Stakes against males in the seven furlong race on June 25. Taris worked five furlongs Saturday on Santa Anita’s main track in 1:02.80. “It was a very easy breeze,’ Callaghan said. “We have three weeks until the race so it (the relatively slow work) was intentional . . . I’m very happy with her.” Taris had fractional times of 24.80 and 50.40, with a six furlong gallop-out clocking of 1:16.40 . . . Maiden Trojan Nation, second by a head in the Wood Memorial two starts back on April 9, worked five furlongs on Santa Anita’s fast main track Saturday in 59.20 for the Belmont Stakes. Trainer Paddy Gallagher said the son of Street Cry is due to arrive at Belmont Park Monday evening or Tuesday. Trojan Nation was 16^th at 42-1 in the May 7 Kentucky Derby . . . Californian winner Second Summer (Gold Cup at Santa Anita on June 25) and multiple graded stakes winner Kobe’s Back (Triple Bend) are scheduled to work Sunday for Peter Eurton . . . Agent Tony Matos has Martin Garcia booked to ride Ami’s Flatter for trainer Josie Carroll in the Grade I, $1.25 million Metropolitan Mile on Belmont Day next Saturday, and Laz Barrera Stakes winner I Will Score for Jerry Hollendorfer in the Grade II, $500,000 Woody Stephens at seven furlongs . . . Donworth, who worked six furlongs from the gate Friday in 1:11.40 for Doug O’Neill, also is ticketed for the Met Mile. “He worked great,” O’Neill said . . . Santa Anita morning-line oddsmaker Jon White notes that Beholder essentially has gone two years without losing a race. She has not been beaten since she finished fourth in the Grade I Ogden Phipps at Belmont Park on June 7, 2014.

Santa Anita Park