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Unbeaten Songbird hits it out of Parx

WHEN THE TRACK in Bensalem was called Keystone, the best horse to walk into the winner's circle was Spectacular Bid when he won the Heritage Stakes on Nov. 11, 1978. When it was called Philadelphia Park, it was Smarty Jones when he won the first two races

WHEN THE TRACK in Bensalem was called Keystone, the best horse to walk into the winner's circle was Spectacular Bid when he won the Heritage Stakes on Nov. 11, 1978. When it was called Philadelphia Park, it was Smarty Jones when he won the first two races of his career on Nov. 9 and Nov. 22 of 2003. Everybody saw, at the very least, the most accomplished horse to walk into the Parx Racing winner's circle on Saturday when Songbird simply ran away from some high-quality competition in the stretch to win the $1 million Cotillion Stakes by 5 3/4 lengths.

The 3-year-old filly is now 11-for-11 and no member of her age group has been close at the finish as she has won her races by a combined 60 lengths.

It was quite the scene at Parx, the parking lots jammed, the grandstand overflowing, the apron by the rail filled with fans just wanting to catch a glimpse of the filly that never loses.

"It doesn't get any better than to watch her today, she was just gorgeous," said Songbird's owner, Rick Porter, of Wilmington. "I'm proud to watch her race. She gives me chills every time. It's just so much fun to watch her run."

Songbird's times never dazzle. She ran the mile and sixteenth in 1:44.02. But she dazzles every time, unbeaten for 14 months now, a final 2016 race scheduled for Nov. 4 at Santa Anita in the Breeders' Cup Distaff.

"There's some big cheese in that race, but that's the fun of it, hook the big ones and hopefully beat 'em," Porter said.

The brilliant 6-year-old mare Beholder is being pointed for the Distaff. That will be the test of tests for Songbird. The filly races on next year and may try even bigger game, perhaps even running against males like Porter's Horse of the Year Havre de Grace once did.

"All along we've thought about sticking with the girls," Porter said. "The time will come next year when we talk about it. I think I can talk (trainer Jerry Hollendorfer) into taking a shot.''

That is for later. For now, Songbird's Parx appearance will be hard to forget. She was not only appreciated for her performance; she was bet like the closest thing to a sure thing. She took $476,158 of the $563,132 in the show pool and was 3-10 in the win pool.

Bettors across the country responded to Songbird, the presence of Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist and Preakness winner Exaggerator in the $1.25 million Pennsylvania Derby and three other stakes on a 12-race card. They bet $9.6 million, second most in track history only to the $10.3 million generated when should-have-been Triple Crown winner California Chrome came to Parx in 2014, headlining a 13-race card.

Nyquist actually looked like he could win the Pa. Derby at the top of the stretch, before tiring in the final few hundred yards, getting the wrong end of a four-way photo for third, eventually finishing sixth behind 10-1 winner Connect. Exaggerator was never in the race and finished seventh.

So the great Bid and the great Smarty are still the only Derby winners to win at the track on Street Road. and they won before they ran in the Derby. A Ky. Derby winner winning the Pa. Derby is coming soon enough as the track's decision to move the Pa. Derby off Labor Day to later in September and then combine it with the Cotillion has put its September Saturday squarely on the national racing map, with big-money purses, plenty of bonus cash and perfect timing as final preps for the Breeders' Cup.

Regardless of which horses appear in the future, it is going to be very difficult to top Songbird's show. And nobody understands it better than her jockey, Mike Smith. The Hall of Famer has considered retirement, but he is going nowhere until Songbird's career ends.

"She does things so easily and I'm so blessed to be a part of her," said Smith, who has ridden her in every start and seems to think she is still getting better.

Songbird is going to hang out at Parx until Wednesday when she will be flown back to California to prepare for the Breeders' Cup. She won't be returning to Parx because there are no races for her there in the future. But nobody who saw her run there will ever forget it.