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Few house owners and breeders have been extra profitable in North American racing than Godolphin, particularly in recent times. Since 2021, the worldwide racing and breeding operation has netted six Eclipse Awards for main proprietor and breeder, 9 Breeders’ Cup wins, and a basic win within the 2021 Belmont Stakes with Important High quality.
But 12 months after 12 months, one race appeared to elude them: the $600,000 Darley Alcibiades Stakes, the celebrated opening-day characteristic at Keeneland that’s sponsored by Godolphin’s stallion division.
Now, even that race has Godolphin’s title in its stake-winning historical past. On Oct. 4, their gifted homebred 2-year-old filly Immersive ended the winless spell within the Grade 1 contest, defeating Quickick by 1 ¼ lengths, with present finisher Quietside one other two lengths again in third.
The victory improved Immersive to 3-for-3 following a maiden victory and a overcome Quietside within the Spinaway Stakes, each at Saratoga Race Course over the summer season.
Immersive additionally earned an computerized, fees-paid berth within the Nov. 1 NetJets Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies at Del Mar because the Alcibiades is a part of the “Win and You’re In” Breeders’ Cup Problem Sequence. Friday’s Darley Alcibiades was the marquee occasion on the opening card of Keeneland’s fall meet, kicking off a three-day Fall Stars weekend loaded with Breeders’ Cup preps.
Moreover, the highest 5 Alcibiades finishers earned qualifying factors to the 2025 Longines Kentucky Oaks on a 10-5-3-2-1 scale.
At all times effectively positioned after breaking from the surface submit underneath Manny Franco, 1.67-1 post-time favourite Immersive stalked Wealthy Metropolis Lady and Liam within the Mud by means of fractions of :23.01, :46.89, and 1:11.26 earlier than taking command within the stretch. She appeared to lose focus down the lane, and a rallying Quickick loomed a hazard.
“I assumed I used to be gonna catch her,” Quickick’s jockey, Dylan Davis, instructed her coach, Tom Amoss, after the race.
However regardless of a last sixteenth in a sluggish :07.14, Immersive, a bay Nyquist filly, remained in entrance, finishing 1 1/16 miles in 1:44.64.
“We wished to go farther together with her since she received first trip, and at this time she proved that she wished to go the gap,” Franco mentioned.
Successful coach Brad Cox appeared happy to have received for Godolphin and Darley, an vital shopper for his secure, noting with a smile that he heard about their previous winless mark from Godolphin representatives in a good-natured approach. He had received the race twice earlier than for different house owners.
“After they have been loading the horses, I noticed all of the assistant starters have been in Darley jackets, I didn’t know if that was good luck or dangerous luck,” he mentioned. “But it surely was good luck at this time.”
Requested if he felt Immersive may head west to Southern California and win the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, as Cox’s British Idiom did at Santa Anita Park 5 years in the past, the coach responded, “I positive hope so. It is a very gifted filly.”–Byron King
Might Day Prepared Dials Up the Rating in Jessamine Stakes
After saddling the winners of top-level races across the globe as an assistant, coach Joseph Lee lastly seized his second within the limelight when Might Day Prepared pulled off a gutsy victory within the $350,000, Grade 2 Jessamine Stakes Introduced by Keeneland Gross sales, one race previous to the Darley Alcibiades on Keeneland’s Oct. 4 card.
“It’s not an excessive amount of completely different, it’s simply my title in this system now,” Lee mentioned.
The final month has been a whirlwind for the horseman, who presently manages a five-horse secure at Belmont Park. KatieRich Stables’ Might Day Prepared handed Lee his first black-type stakes winner Sept. 8 within the Kentucky Downs Juvenile Fillies Stakes and sweetened the deal by giving the coach his first graded stakes win within the Jessamine.
“She’s a pleasant filly and I’ve identified that for fairly some time to be trustworthy with you,” Lee mentioned. “It was a tough week of preparation for us with all of the rain up there.”
Lee had initially entered Might Day Prepared within the Miss Grillo Stakes at Belmont on the Large A, which was rescheduled on account of torrential rain storms. The coach modified his plans earlier this week and vanned the Tapit filly right down to Kentucky on Tuesday.
Might Day Prepared was eager after being jostled round in the course of the opening levels of the Jessamine, however settled effectively off the tempo underneath Frankie Dettori, who had ridden the filly in all three of her begins. Weaving her approach between horses, Might Day Prepared superior powerfully as the sector turned for house and took goal on stretch chief Completely Justified.
Might Day Prepared quickened simply as she had at Kentucky Downs, collaring Completely Justified on the wire in a blanket end with a fast-closing Destino d’Oro to the surface. The three 2-year-olds hit the wire in unison, with Might Day Prepared proving greatest by the slimmest of margins. Completely Justified was a nostril again in second, one other nostril forward of Destino d’Oro.
“I assumed we received beat to be trustworthy. I assumed we received third and that she ran effectively. Earlier than the race Frankie (Dettori) mentioned if she runs effectively right here, ‘We’re going to the Breeders’ Cup,’” Lee mentioned.
Might Day Prepared clocked the 1 1/16 miles in 1:44.10 over a agency turf course. By successful the Jessamine, a Breeders’ Cup Problem Sequence qualifier, the bay earned an all-expenses paid berth to the $1 million John Deere Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf Nov. 1 at Del Mar.–Molly Rollins
Federal Decide Picks Up First Graded Stakes Win in Phoenix Stakes
Just like his second-level allowance race win in late August at Saratoga, Federal Decide opened a transparent benefit early and drew off late to submit a 5 ½-length victory within the $314,275, Grade 2 Stoll Keenon Ogden Phoenix Stakes earlier on Friday’s card.
On a monitor the place pace fared effectively all through the day, Federal Decide broke in good order from the rail underneath Flavien Prat and appeared effectively inside himself by means of a quarter-mile in :21.62. He put away a little bit of a problem from Comedy City after a half-mile in :43.97 then drew off to the simple victory.
With the trouble, the speedy 4-year-old Military Mule gelding campaigned by WinStar Farm and Siena Farm secured the primary graded stakes win of his profession. The constant Federal Decide nailed down his fourth win in six profession begins and moving into gave the impression to be a very good match for the monitor Friday. Within the 4 main-track races earlier than the Phoenix, two winners led at each level of name and the opposite two rallied from simply off the tempo in second.
“It was an enormous win; we’re happy with the horse, happy with the trouble,” coach Brad Cox mentioned. “Clearly simply based mostly off of what we’ve seen from the sooner races, pace’s good, rail’s good, so we’ll see. We walked within the paddock and felt it may positively profit him, and it appeared to have however we’re happy with the trouble.”
Despatched off because the second alternative at 1.74-1 odds, Federal Decide accomplished the six-furlong take a look at in 1:08.20 on a quick monitor. He was adopted house by post-time favourite Nakatomi in second and Comedy City, who entered off back-to-back stakes wins at Gulfstream Park, in third.
The Phoenix is a “Win and You’re In” Breeders’ Cup Problem Sequence race that awards a fees-paid begin within the Breeders’ Cup Dash Nov. 2 at Del Mar. Whereas it could be simply his third begin in a graded stakes, Cox mentioned they’ll think about that choice. In his solely different graded stakes begin, Federal Decide completed fourth in final 12 months’s Woody Stephens Stakes Introduced by Mohegan Solar at Belmont Park.
“It’s a thought,” Cox mentioned. “We’ll speak it over with the WinStar workforce and the Siena Farm workforce and provide you with a sport plan pretty fast. It’s positively one thing we’ll speak about over the following few days.”–Frank Angst
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