Search For A Song


Search For A Song is an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse best-known for his performances over extended distances. After being unraced as a juvenile she won on her racecourse debut in 2019 and finished fourth in the Irish Oaks before going on to win the Galtres Stakes and the Irish St Leger.

Background

Search For A Song is a chestnut filly with a broad white blaze and white socks on her hind legs bred and owned by the Moyglare Stud. She was sent into training with Dermot Weld at the Curragh, County Kildare.
She was from the fourteenth crop of foals sire by Galileo, who won the Derby, Irish Derby and King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes in 2001. His other progeny include Australia, Frankel, Waldgeist, Nathaniel, New Approach, Rip Van Winkle, Found, Minding and Ruler of the World. Search For A Song's dam, Polished Gem won one minor race from five attempts, but has been a very successful broodmare, producing several other winners including Free Eagle, Sapphire and Custom Cut. Polished Gem is a daughter of the Irish 1000 Guineas winner Trusted Partner.

Racing career

2019: three-year-old season

On 30 May Search For A Song made her racecourse debut in a maiden race over ten furlongs on good to firm ground at Fairyhouse Racecourse in which she was ridden by Chris Hayes and started the 4/6 favourite in a six-runner field. After racing prominently from the start she went to the front in the last quarter mile and pulled away to win "comfortably" by four lengths from Lady Olenna.
At Naas Racecourse on 26 June Search For A Song was stepped up in class and went off the 2/1 favourite for the Listed Naas Oaks Trial. She led for most of the race but was overtaken inside the last quarter mile and finished second, two and three quarter lengths behind the Jessica Harrington-trained Trethias. On 20 July the filly was moved to the highest level to contest the Group 1 Irish Oaks over one and a half miles at the Curragh. After racing in mid-division she stayed on well in the closing stages without ever looking likely to win and came home fourth behind Star Catcher, Fleeting and Pink Dogwood. For her next start Search For A Song was sent to England and started 2/1 favourite for the Listed Galtres Stakes at York Racecourse on 22 August. Ridden by Oisin Murphy she raced in third place before taking the lead in the straight and stayed on well to win by one and three quarter lengths and a head from Vivionn and Spirit of Appin. Dermot Weld commented "She did that very nicely. Oisin did a nice job getting her in behind the speed and she's a nice staying filly. I was quite relaxed throughout the race... I really see her coming into her own as a four-year-old."
On 15 September Search For A Song was ridden by Hayes took on nine older male opponents in the Irish St Leger at the Curragh and started at odds of 10/1. Cross Counter went off favourite while the other contenders included Kew Gardens, Latrobe and Capri. After pulling against Hayes' attempts to restrain her the filly took the lead at half way and kept on well in the straight to win by two and a half lengths from Kew Gardens. After the race Weld said "Search For A Song was running so freely early on that it was either going to work out brilliantly or be a disaster. Chris made the right call and it was a very brave one and a hard one to make... When she got to the front the filly settled and we knew she would stay, there's a lot of stamina in her pedigree. The world could be her oyster next year."

Pedigree