Serena's Song


Serena’s Song is an American Thoroughbred race horse. She won 17 graded stakes races, including 11 Grade I, in three seasons for $3,286,388 in earnings.

Background

Serena's Song is a smaller than average, but athletically built bay mare. Her sire Rahy was a Grade II winner on turf and Grade I-placed, but was more successful at stud and became notable primarily as a sire of broodmares and racemares. Rahy has also sired 2006 U.S. Champion Two-Year-Old Filly Dreaming of Anna, Breeders' Cup Turf winner and European Horse of the Year Fantastic Light, and the outstanding broodmare Mariah's Storm, among other notable horses. Serena's Song's dam Imagining, a daughter of Northfields, won two of her 26 races but became a successful broodmare who also produced Grade III winner Vivid Imagination and graded stakes producers River Saint and Serena's Sister.
Serena's Song was bred in Kentucky by Dr. Howard J. Baker. Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas bought her at the 1993 Keeneland July yearling sale for $150,000 for Eclipse of Merit owners Robert and Beverly Lewis.

Two-year-old season

In her two-year-old season, Serena's Song started 10 times and won four races. She also finished second twice and third once while compiling earnings of $597,335. In the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, she finished second to the undefeated champion Flanders by a head. In the Grade I Hollywood Starlet Stakes, she beat Urbane.

Three-year-old season

In 13 starts at age three, Serena's Song won 9. One of her top performances was in the de facto second jewel of the filly Triple Crown, the $200,000 Grade II Black-Eyed Susan Stakes. That race was run on May 19, 1995, over a mile and one eighth at Pimlico Race Course. Serena's Song beat a field of seven stakes winners, including Conquistadoress and Rare Opportunity.
Serena's Song also beat males that year in the Jim Beam Stakes and the Haskell Invitational Handicap. She defeated older females in the Beldame Stakes. That year, she brought home the American Champion Three-Year-Old Filly award, winning $1,524,920.

Four-year-old season

In 1996, when she was four, Serena's Song started 15 times, winning 5 times, placing in 7 races, and coming in third twice. She ran over eight tracks and never finished worse than third. In May, she shipped to Baltimore and won the grade two Pimlico Distaff, now called the Allaire duPont Distaff Stakes, on the Preakness Stakes undercard. She came very close to winning the Whitney Handicap and was second in the Breeders' Cup Distaff. That year, she brought home $1,164,133.

Foals

Serena’s Song was sent to Denali Stud near Paris, Kentucky, as a broodmare. So far she has produced 12 foals, 11 have raced and nine have won. Among her offspring are these named horses:
After her 2014 filly was weaned, Serena's Song was retired from broodmare duties. She still resides at Denali stud.
Serena’s Song was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2002, at age ten.

Pedigree