She has a damaged bone and enlarged suspensories in her hind end. Blood Horse calls it “a chip”, but Bramlage described it as “a line on the bone”. Article implies that she had never fully healed from her previous problem before she was brought back into training; or if not that, that there is something in the way she is built that leads to problems in that area.
She is truly a very special filly.
That she is - very sad news but at least she will retire without a catastrophic injury. Although the implication that she was not given enough time to heal is just… sad.
I was so hoping to see her run in the Breeders’ Cup - but she has more than earned her retirement. Classy girl!
Just heard this on TVG and saw on Bloodhorse.
Not sure where you got the impression she wasn’t given enough time to heal however.
She did have issues over the winter but was cleared to return to racing. I am more than sure the connections would not have raced her if they thought she wasn’t 100%.
Her current issues were “readily apparent” to Dr Bramlage of R&R after this last race after ultrasounds and x-rays.
Her 2017 record after 3 starts was 2-1-0 so not, IMO, like she was “suffering”. Many thought she wasn’t the Songbird of 2016 but many horses change as they age with some aging better and some aging less competitively.
I don’t really follow FB but nothing in the Bloodhorse article implies she may have conformational problems that may have led to her unsoundness issues :rolleyes:
Viney, if you are going to make blanket statements, quoting the source would be more than helpful 
Thanks for more details, Where’sMyWhite - for some reason I could not get on the Blood Horse site - until just now. I am satisfied that her connections did the right thing for her.
Smoofox, yes, I agree completely. Retiring her after R&R’s assessment was the absolute right thing to do. She is 4. No need to try to rehab for a late return this year and I don’t see the need to race her at 5 and risk her long term health.
Will she be a good broodmare? Who knows, only time will tell
The link to the Paulick Report article which quotes the statement on FB.
In neither article do I see anything that implies a potential conformation issue that may have led up to the initial bone bruising or current line appearing on the x-ray or enlarged suspensors.
Just read this here. Adds a little more info after Porter’s quote.
http://www.thoroughbreddailynews.com/two-time-champion-songbird-retired/#.Wag2mlBX_tw.twitter
So sad. Just loved her, and feel fortunate to have seen her in the CCA at Saratoga last year. And to think she was “only second” in the Personal Ensign.
Will miss her very much. Lump in throat reading her connections’ reactions.
Updated link/article from the Bloodhorse. :eek:
She’ll be offered at this year’s Fasig-Tipton November 6 sale.
Damage sounds worse than originally report. Snippets from the link.
According to Bramlage’s report posted on Porter’s Fox Hill Farm Facebook page, subsequent scans revealed “front distal cannon bone problems” with the shape and size of the loose chip presenting a possible catastrophic situation if she continued to race.
Bramlage said he noticed right away that she was off behind," Porter said. "Then … it just got worse. When he found out she was lame after he blocked the back, and when he got to the front end— which he thinks was caused by the back end— that was major. He told me ‘You’re looking at a major catastrophe if you had continued with her.’
“It’s amazing she didn’t break down, because that chip—it’s an unusually shaped chip, which Bramlage said could break loose and go down and just explode the cannon bone. It’s amazing the size of it and the shape of it, and the shape of it made it so dangerous. What was great is Larry started examining, then he took some X-rays and saw a problem there, and then he said ‘I don’t like what I’m seeing. We need to do an MRI.’ That showed how bad it was and how fortunate we were to not have another Eight Belles on our hands.”
Glad Rick Porter listened to his gut that she wasn’t “right” after 3 performances that didn’t match her 2016 year. Porter also owned Eight Belles so very close to home with potential devastating results.
Very impressive record… 13 wins from 15 starts and $4,692,000 in earnings.
Another to watch in the November sales and subsequent breeding shed.
Very glad that they caught the issue before it caused a major injury, but I will miss watching her on the racetrack. Now we wait and hope that she can produce foals with anything close to her own talent level.
kudos to Rick Porter for having her evaluated. What a lovely, talented filly, wish her well.
Just because she was cleared for racing doesn’t mean that she had healed from the bone “bruise” problem in her front cannon. Bramlage points out some facts in his diagnosis available here: https://www.facebook.com/14939928844…type=3&theater that indicate that she didn’t appear to be anywhere as lame as she actually was becoming. He also stated that the hind suspensory problem was older than her most recent race, as it has progressed much deeper and farther than a very recent problem would have done. Porter is quoted in the Blood Horse article that the foreleg problem is the result of the suspensory problem, but Bramlage says exactly the opposite.
One of Porter’s quotes:
After this past race, we thought something seemed off in her hind end, so we sent her to Rood & Riddle for an evaluation. Her lameness was readily apparent to Dr. Bramlage, and ultrasounds proved both hind suspensories were enlarged. Since suspensories are usually the result of something else amiss and he knew of her history, Dr. Bramlage shot a set of x-rays of the area of bone Songbird had issues with over the Winter. A distinct line on the bone was present. We followed up with a bone scan, and then an MRI.
Sorry, but this paragraph implies that the same area of bone was involved both in the winter and now. If that’s the case, either it had not fully healed when she returned to racing and she re-injured it; or it was re-injured after it had healed, which would indicate a structural problem of some kind.
I find it very sad that Songbird will be offered at the Fasig-Tipton November mixed sale: Ending her career with nine Grade I victories at seven tracks and earnings of $4,692,000. 
Why sell her? Why not keep her after all she’s done? I hope she moves on to a fabulous place where she will be loved for the rest of her days.
I don’t know for sure but don’t think that Rick Porter, her current owner, is really into the breeding business. If he isn’t set up for a broodmare operation, why not put Songbird up for sale where she’ll more than likely end up in a place that will treat her like a princess?
She will sell for millions of dollars and go to a wonderful farm. TB auctions are not New Holland.
Pretty much this. He sold Havre de Grace for the same reasons. If anything, Mandy Pope probably has some room in her broodmare band that Songbird could probably fit right into.
And his own answer for why he’s not keeping her - mentioned in Jay Hovdey’s article here.
http://www.drf.com/news/hovdey-songbirds-retirement-leaves-void-match-her-brilliance
"“Also, at my age, I don’t have anybody to take this business over,” Porter, 76, went on. “There is no continuation of Fox Hill Farm when I’m gone. There’s really no point in starting a breeding business. What keeps me going is getting good horses to the races. That’s what I love.”
Like LaurieB said, it’s not like Songbird is heading to New Holland…
Breeding is a whole 'nother kettle of fish than racing. She’s had a stellar career and now off to a new career as a mom.
Nice to read they kept looking when the early Dx didn’t show much instead of ASSuming it wasn’t serious or making excuses. Interesting the observable NQR was compensatory and it took an MRI to reveal the real cause. Good timing if it had to happen too, she’s got time to heal and let down before presenting at the sale and going to the shed.
Breeding isn’t for everybody either, no guarantees and can tear your heart out as bad as anything at the track if not worse since there’s babies involved.
A headliner like her at the sale is a win win all around attracting more buyers that might look more carefully at other consignments as well as give more the opportunity to purchase her then keeping her sale strictly private. Sometimes one consignment like that will attract other high quality consignments on tne hope they’ll ride her coat tails to a higher price. Wonder if they’ll livestream it? I’d pay to see her go through, little weight and sales pampering should make her gasp worthy, she’s drop dead gorgeous anyway,
Keeneland and Fasig sales are always live streamed on their respective websites.
Sharing the ring (figuratively) at Fasig-Tipton November will be Tepin in foal to Curlin.
Some very nice quality mares in the ring this fall. Will be interesting to see which of them can produce close to their own race records
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