Weight concession unlikely to quieten brilliant Songbird

Preview: USA, Saturday 10.30pm BST (live on ATR)

Delaware Park: Delaware Hcap (Grade 1) 1m2f | dirt | 3yo+ f/m

Despite having to concede between 9lb and 13lb to her five rivals, dual champion filly Songbird (Jerry Hollendorfer/Mike Smith) towers over the field in the Delaware Handicap, the Grade 1 highlight of this weekend's US programme.

Such races are a throwback to tradition on the American calendar, where the older-horse category is routinely referred to as the 'handicap division'.

Even so, if this were a true European-style handicap, Songbird would be giving away even more weight, such is her superiority on paper as she bids to extend her near-flawless career record to 13 wins from 14 races.

That sole defeat, by a nose, came in an epic Breeders' Cup Distaff when she just lost out to Beholder after a battle royal down the Santa Anita stretch.

A minor setback delayed Songbird's return last month, when she gained a cosy one-length verdict in the Ogden Phipps for her eighth Grade 1 triumph.

Now she visits Delaware for a race won twice before by Californian-based veteran Jerry Hollendorfer with Hystericalady (2008) and Blind Luck (2011).

"I have run at Delaware before in a few races and I have been real fortunate in that most my horses have gotten over the racetrack," said the trainer.

"Songbird is training really well right now and we are hopeful she can come in there and have a good start."

Among Songbird's rivals, Weep No More (Rusty Arnold/Joel Rosario) is at least Grade 1 winner after taking last year's Ashland but she has twice been beaten by double-figure margins behind the favourite when they have met in the past. Blinkers are added.

Having won three of her last four at lesser grade, former claimer Martini Glass (Keith Nationas/Jose Ferrer) may be a better option for the exacta.

Also on Saturday

Indiana Downs: Indiana Derby (Grade 3) 1m½f | dirt | 3yo

Irap (Doug O'Neill/Mario Gutierrez), winner of the Blue Grass Stakes and Ohio Derby, bids to add another richly endowed event to his CV in this $500,000 highlight.

Los Alamitos: Los Alamitos Derby (Grade 3) 1m1f | dirt | 3yo (12.58pm Sun BST)

After ankle issues, Del Mar Futurity winner Klimt (Art Sherman/ Rafael Bejarano) makes a belated seasonal debut against a potentially stern opponent in West Coast (Bob Baffert/Drayden van Dyke), who won the Easy Goer by almost four lengths at Belmont on his most recent outing.

>>Leading four-year-old Connect, who won the Pennsylvania Derby and Cigar Mile for US champion trainer Chad Brown, has been retired to Lane's End owing to a soft-tissue injury.