A pair of unbeaten two-year-old fillies captured Breeders’ Cup Challenge races on Friday’s opener at Keeneland.
Godolphin’s Immersive stamped her Juvenile Fillies (G1) ticket in the $600,000 Alcibiades (G1), also a scoring race on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks. Earlier, May Day Ready prevailed in a three-way Jessamine (G2) photo over Totally Justified and Destino d’Oro, earning a spot in the Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1).
Alcibiades (G1)
The 1.67-1 favorite in the wake of her Spinaway (G1) victory, Immersive confirmed the Saratoga form on the stretch-out to two turns at Keeneland. Spinaway runner-up Quietside was also well backed as the 2.95-1 second choice. But as it happened, the two reversed tactical their roles in a way that benefited Immersive.
Drawn on the outside here, rather than being stuck on the rail at the Spa, Immersive secured a more forward spot for regular rider Manny Franco. In contrast, Quietside, who had chased early in the Spinaway, was settled farther back in the Alcibiades, and she appeared to be a bit lost at certain stages of the race.
Immersive had no doubt about her task. Perched in third, the Brad Cox pupil stalked Rich City Girl and Liam in the Dust through fractions of :23.01, :46.89, and 1:11.26. Liam in the Dust gave way on the far turn, leaving Rich City Girl briefly alone in front.
But Franco was already galvanizing Immersive, who accosted Rich City Girl swinging for home and imposed her authority by 1 1/4 lengths. The daughter of Nyquist clocked 1 1/16 miles in 1:44.64 and banked 10 points toward the Kentucky Oaks (G1).
Quickick stayed on for second (five Oaks points). Another two lengths back came Quietside, running in bits and snatches in third (three points).
The connections of Quickick and Quietside commented on their greenness.
“Turning for home,” Quickick’s jockey Dylan Davis said, “I really thought I was going to catch Manny (Franco on Immersive), but on the side of the grandstand she lost a little focus. I couldn’t get her back to the right lead. I tried, but she was losing a little bit of momentum. She ran great; we had tough competitors. She’s still learning.”
“We have not seen the best of her yet,” said Quietside’s trainer, John Ortiz. “She looked like she was shying away from the crowd. The biggest thing we can take away is that she can handle two turns with a big field. I wish she was more straight coming down the stretch. The crowd was cheering; the Keeneland crowd is amazing. This was a good experience for her.”
Fourth-placer Continuity (two points) nipped Sherbini (one point). Rich City Girl folded to a distant sixth, and Liam in the Dust was eased.
The Queens M G was withdrawn in favor of Saturday’s Frizette (G1) at Aqueduct, which has been reduced by the bombshell scratch of Senza Parole.
Immersive has now earned $582,700 from her 3-for-3 line. The Alcibiades marked the first time that she was favored.
The Kentucky homebred won her six-furlong premiere at Saratoga July 21 as a 10-1 shot, and she was overlooked at 12-1 in the Spinaway. Perhaps her two-turn profile caused excessive caution about her chances in sprints. Those odds didn’t reflect her connections’ high regard for her in principle.
“She stamped herself as a very good filly from day one when she arrived here at Keeneland in the spring,” Cox said. “It’s a big win for her. She always acted like she would carry her talent around two turns. I want to thank Manny Franco for being aggressive and putting her in the race. She finished up well.”
“We wanted to go farther with her since she won first time out,” Franco said, “and today she proved that she wanted to go the distance.
“She’s a grinder and today she broke running. That was the plan: to break running and go forward. She was traveling so comfortable. I was pleased with what I had under me. It was a matter of time. At the quarter pole I asked her for more, and she took a little bit to get going, but she got it done. She’s a nice filly.”
Immersive is out of the Bernardini mare Gap Year, herself a daughter of Grade 1 winner Dubai Escapade. This is the family of millionaire Madcap Escapade, who garnered the 2004 Ashland (G1) at Keeneland and went on to produce Grade 1 scorer Mi Sueno.
Jessamine (G2)
KatieRich Stables’ May Day Ready extended her record to 3-for-3 in the $350,000 Jessamine, all with international legend Frankie Dettori aboard. Dettori still has fond memories of riding her dam, Nemoralia, early in her career, and May Day Ready is adding new chapters to their story.
The affinity between horse and rider was on display in May Day Ready’s perfectly-judged Saratoga debut win, in her rallying victory in the Sept. 8 Kentucky Downs Juvenile Fillies, and in the Jessamine. Indeed, given the razor-thin margin on Friday, their family relationship may have been the difference between victory and defeat.
May Day Ready had trouble at the start, between bumping and getting shuffled back. But Dettori maneuvered the 4.40-1 second choice into a decent spot about midpack. Destino d’Oro, the 1.77-1 favorite, had an even worse time when clipping heels in the early scrum.
Meanwhile, pacesetter Shezafunkydrummer was carving out splits of :23.06, :48.41, and 1:13.11 on the firm turf course. Totally Justified was well placed tracking the modest pace, and the daughter of Triple Crown champion Justify struck with a good-looking move in the stretch. But Totally Justified lost focus and didn’t put the race away.
May Day Ready got the seam to burst out of the pack in pursuit. Just when she nabbed Totally Justified, Destino d’Oro came charging wider out to make it three abreast. The favorite’s momentum fooled the eye into imagining that she overtook her inside rivals, but the camera revealed otherwise.
In the photo, Destino d’Oro was actually third, beaten two noses by May Day Ready and Totally Justified. May Day Ready negotiated 1 1/16 miles in 1:44.10 and returned $10.80.
Mechaya reported home another 2 1/2 lengths adrift in fourth. Her rider, Francisco Arrieta, lodged an objection against Franco on Totally Justified, but the stewards ruled that the original order should stand. Next came Italian Soiree, Shezafunkydrummer, Sashay Away, Ballerina d’Oro, Somethinabouther, Miss Lonelle, and Give Life.
Isle of Capri was a vet scratch after injuring herself in the gate. The other withdrawals — Virgin Colada, Correto, She’s Got Will, and Daisy Flyer — are all in Sunday’s rescheduled Miss Grillo (G2) at Aqueduct.
May Day Ready gave trainer Joseph Lee his first graded win, and Dettori praised his erstwhile Godolphin colleague.
“She was superb, and Joe has done a tremendous job. She’s a very talented filly,” Dettori said.
Lee, for his part, deflected credit to May Day Ready.
“She has a lot of heart, I’ve gotta say. Even her first race (maiden special weight at Saratoga Aug. 4), her moves down the backside and around the turn, and then she was fortunate to hold off Brendan (Walsh’s) horse (Love Tempo) coming on at the end. So she’s definitely talented, and she’s the reason why I’m standing here. She just has a lot of ability. I’m just going to try to stay out of her way.”
“She had to do it the hard way,” Dettori said of the Jessamine. “She got a bit restless in the gate and a bit keen in the first turn. I had to go the ‘brave man’ route. The gaps were a lot smaller than I anticipated, but she skipped through it.
“To honest with you, I thought Flavien (Prat on Destino d’Oro) beat me on the line, so I was a little bit frustrated, but it all came out. I’m super delighted. She’s almost gone over the $1 million barrier in three runs. What superb job Joe has done.”
The ebullient Dettori was slightly inflating her bankroll, which stands at $844,025, but his overall point is well taken.
“Even if she would have got beaten today in the photograph, I would have loved to ride her in the (Breeders’ Cup Juvenile) Fillies Turf (G1) at Del Mar. But now we don’t have to worry about it, because she’s in and we are going.
“A crowbar couldn’t get me (off her),” the colorful reinsman concluded.
May Day Ready will try to improve on dam Nemoralia’s third-place effort in the 2015 Juvenile Fillies Turf. Nemoralia also placed in that year’s Frizette (G1) at a sloppy Belmont Park. Later second in the 2016 Coronation (G1) at Royal Ascot, the More Than Ready mare scored her signature win in that summer’s City of York (G3).
Sired by Tapit, May Day Ready was bred by White Birch Farm in Kentucky. The bay went to her current connections for $325,000 at OBS in April.
