Songbird easily in Santa Ysabel, Shagaf rallies in Gotham

Undefeated juvenile filly champion

Songbird coasted to another facile victory on Saturday, this time in the

$100,000 Santa Ysabel (G3) over 1 1/16 miles. It was her second start of the

year and her penultimate start before the $1 million Kentucky Oaks (G1) on May

6.

At Aqueduct,

Shagaf became Shadwell Stable's second Kentucky Derby (G1) hopeful to earn

qualifying points with a 1 1/4-length score in the $400,000 Gotham (G3). The

Chad Brown trainee wore down front-runner Laoban, who attempted to ride an

inside speed-biased track to win.

Blofeld, who last visited the winner's circle in the fall of 2014,

returned to the spotlight in Saturday's $500,000 Gulfstream Park H. (G2),

rallying up the rail to nail Stanford in the final strides. The 4-year-old

colt led a 1-2 finish for Todd Pletcher in the one-mile test.

Chad Brown had a great start to the day down at Gulfstream Park when his

stable

filled the top three slots in the $150,000 The Very One (G3) for fillies and

mares on the turf. Leading wire to wire was Olorda, who set a course record of

1:51.57 in winning the 1 3/16-mile turf event. In the

$200,000 Mac Diarmida (G2), Grand Tito parlayed a good trip into a 1 1/4-length

victory in the 1 3/8-mile turf affair for older horses.

Mor Spirit and other candidates for next week's San Felipe (G2) took to the

Santa Anita strip Saturday morning for their final works before the 1

1/16-mile Kentucky Derby prep.

Earlier Saturday,

final preps for the Dubai World Cup Day program were held at Meydan. Special

Fighter smashed the track mark while recording an upset winning the Maktoum

Challenge Round 3 (G1), with Travers (G1) winner Keen Ice up the track. Kellie

Reilly recaps all of the day's events in Dubai, and also goes over other

developments on the international front in her weekly

Dispatch Box feature.