Undefeated 3-year-old filly Songbird has a "low grade fever" and won't run in the May 6 Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs.
Songbird has won all seven of her races with ease and would have been the overwhelming favorite for the Oaks. The 2-year-old champion and winner of the Breeders' Cup Juvenile, the filly is one of the top 3-year-olds in the country -- male or female.
Her most recent victory came in the Santa Anita Oaks two weeks ago,
"She will be taken care of and will go back to the track only when she is 100 percent," trainer Jerry Hollendorfer told The Associated Press in a phone interview Sunday night. "We've got a really nice filly and I suspect she will come back later in the year."
Owner Rick Porter has said since the beginning of the year that he would not run his filly against the boys in the Derby. Hollendorfer, a Hall of Fame trainer, also prefers to keep his fillies from competing against males.
Porter also owned Eight Belles, the filly who finished second to Big Brown in the 2008 Derby before breaking down around the first turn after the finish and being euthanized on the track.
On his Fox Hill Farms' Facebook page, Porter posted Songbird "has not been able to go out to the track. With the fever not resolved, she was started on a course of antibiotics today [Sunday], and as a result it'll be another 7-10 days before she's able to return to the track."
Songbird's 3 3/4-length victory in the Santa Anita Oaks, over a sloppy track, left an impression on Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith.
"She's just incredible," Smith said of the filly, who has won her seven races by a combined 35½ lengths. "I feel so blessed and I keep pinching myself, having to remind myself that I'm the one that gets to keep the weight on her. That's really all I do."
The news leaves the Oaks field wide open. Among the contenders are Fantasy Stakes winner Terra Promessa, Gazelle winner Lewis Bay, Fair Grounds Oaks winner Land Over Sea and Ashland winner Weep No More.
"We are sorry to have to miss the Oaks but what's most important is to get Songbird well, and we have two great vets along with Jerry and his team taking good care of her," Porter said.
Sports on 04/18/2016