“She ran incredible and I’m so proud of her,” said jockey Mike Smith. A loss is a loss, but in defeat, Songbird proved she too is a once-in-a-generation type of talent who is expected to come back for a 4-year-old campaign. The same can be said for Songbird, whose career record is now but a few millimeters from perfection. “It was a quarter mile of just a street fight.” “I’ve been in battles before, but never the length of the stretch,” Stevens continued. A perception beyond the basic task at hand, answering the bell when the call of duty becomes more than horse race. The great ones often possess an astuteness to match their athletic prowess. The public consensus seemed to be the mare had clearly lost a step and while still a force, the proverbial torch had already been passed down to her younger foes. Two more runner-up efforts followed-she was no match for California Chrome in August, and yielded yet again to Stellar Wind last month. In July, Beholder saw an 8 race win streak thwarted by the 4-year-old filly Stellar Wind.
She laid her heart out there on the racetrack and gave absolutely everything that was running through her veins, and it was fun to be a part of.” “Even in Beholder’s previous three defeats it was almost like she knew she was beaten midway through the stretch and looked after herself.
“She actually put Songbird away three different times through the stretch, and she kept coming back like she wouldn’t go away,” Stevens explained. As her connections talked about the pre-race preparation and penultimate performance, you get the feeling she sensed it, too. It’s also her last, as she’s set to depart from the stable of Richard Mandella for a well-earned retirement at the parcel of Kentucky paradise of owner B. It was the 18th career win and third Breeders’ Cup championship for Beholder, who joins Goldikova as the only three-time Breeders’ Cup winners in history.