Songbird returns in Las Virgenes; Mor Spirit tops Lewis

Champion juvenile filly Songbird will make her highly-anticipated return in

the $300,000 Las Virgenes (G2) at Santa Anita,

one of two Kentucky Oaks preps being offered Saturday along with the $100,000

Martha Washington at Oaklawn Park. Mike Smith retains the mount on the

undefeated Jerry Hollendorfer trainee and six rivals will line up to challenge

Songbird in the one-mile race.

Los Alamitos Futurity (G1) winner

Mor Spirit headlines a field of seven in Saturday's $150,000 Robert B. Lewis

(G3) at Santa Anita, a Kentucky Derby qualifier offering points on a

10-4-2-1 scale to the top four finishers. Santa Anita will also offer the

$500,000 San Antonio (G2) for older horses on the main track and the $200,000

San Marcos (G2) for turf runners.

One of three runners entered from the Todd Pletcher stable,

Mshawish will attempt to provide the leading conditioner his fourth victory Donn

H. (G1) in seven years at Gulfstream Park on Saturday. Madefromlucky and

Itsaknockout are the other Pletcher trainees in the eight-horse field, and

Travers (G1) upsetter Keen Ice is among those using the 1 1/8-mile race as a

possible springboard to the lucrative Dubai World Cup program on March 26.

Also at the TwinSpires Blog:

James Scully reviews last weekend's developments, including Mohaymen's

impressive Holy Bull (G2) victory, and gives his weekly top 10 list in the

Kentucky Derby Report. And Scully also remembers the

epic showdown between Dortmund and Firing Line in the 2015 Lewis.

Vance Hanson weighs in on

why the older horse division seems no closer to getting back on track.

Ed DeRosa explains why his

race and wager selection process has helped start the New Year in a big way.

John Mucciolo provides his weekly take on the action over the inner track in

the

Aqueduct Notebook.