Under a patient ride from Manny Franco, Immersive kicked into high gear in the stretch and went on to post a 1 ¼-length upset of favored Quietside over a muddy and sealed track in the $300,000 Spinaway (G1), one of three graded stakes on the final Saturday of racing at Saratoga Race Course.
Making her second start following a maiden victory on July 21, the 2-year-old Nyquist filly raced just off fractions of 22.68 and 46.04 seconds before coming widest of all straightening for home and catching the favorite in the final yards.
Immersive. NYRA Photo.
Brightwork shines in Prioress; Idea Generation (31-1) takes Flower Bowl
Her winning time for the 7 furlongs was 1:25.31.
“She is lightly raced, it is hard to say what she wants to do and what she is going to like,” said trainer Brad Cox of the Godolphin homebred. “She is a really good, smooth mover, great stride, so I was hoping she would handle it, and she did.”
Cox said the Alcibiades (G1) on October 4 at Keeneland was the likely next target.
“We will talk it over with the Godolphin team. I would say that probably would be the game plan,” Cox said. “I’d like to ship her back to Churchill on Monday and come up with a game plan. I would say that would probably be ‘Plan A.’’’
Sent off at 12-1, Immersive returned $27.40 for a $2 win bet, and with the winner’s purse of $165,000 improved her career bankroll to $220,000. She also earned a bonus bankroll as part of the “Breeders’ Cup Dirt Dozen” Bonus Series, which can be used for pre-entry and entry fees at the Breeders’ Cup in November at Del Mar.
Quietside, a 6 ½ length maiden winner, was four lengths ahead of Sherbini. Strong State checked in fourth, and was followed under the wire by The Queens M G, Reliable Source, Pondering, Salted, Tiz Purple, and Bellacose. Slang was pulled up and was vanned off in no apparent distress.
The $500,000 Flower Bowl (G2)
Idea Generation, the longest shot in the field of seven fillies and mares, led all the way over a yielding turf course to win the 1 3/8-mile race and earn a berth in the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf in November at Del Mar.
Under Florent Geroux, the 31-1 shot galloped through fractions of 51.92, 1:18.20, 1:43.58 and 2:07.14 whilst maintaining a comfortable margin, and was never seriously threatened as she hit the wire in 2:18.97, 1 ½ lengths ahead of favored War Like Goddess.
“She had her ears up and was loving the ground,” said Chad Brown, who trains the daughter of Dubawi for Klaravich Stables. “We knew she liked the soft ground, but she was really looking comfortable the whole way. I actually felt good on the final turn with everybody getting closer. I could see he was giving her a breather.
Flo [Geroux] rode a great race. The other good race she ran was with him last fall, so I was thrilled he was actually here today. I was very excited to put him on the horse.”
Idea Generation returned $64.50 for a $2 win bet and earned $275,000 while improving her lifetime record to 7-2-2-0.
Brown said the Breeders’ Cup was a long shot for Idea Generation, who prefers soft turf, an unlikely scenario at Del Mar.
Completing the order of finish were McKulick in third, followed by Eternal Hope, Verbier, Millie Girl and Parnac. La Mehana and Neecie Marie were scratched, along with main track-only entrants Movie Moxy and Amanda’s Folly.
Brightwork is Back
Brightwork, winner of the 2023 Adirondack (G3) and Spinaway (G1), returned from a nearly 10-month layoff to outlast odds-on favorite Two Sharp after a stretch-long duel and take the $200,000 Prioress (G3) by a neck.
Under Luis Saez, Brightwork tracked Two Sharp through fractions of 22.55 and 45.92 seconds before swinging three-wide into the stretch and collaring the favorite approaching the eighth pole. Neither filly refused to yield, with Brightwork edging ahead and holding on to hit the wire in 1:10.86, with Muccia finishing another three-quarters of a length back in third.
Brightwork, unraced since finishing fifth in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, was supposed to return in the Test (G1) on August 3 but was a late scratch after flipping in the paddock.
“We were just very blessed that we had another opportunity to get another win at Saratoga. This was not the original plan, but God had his plans and things happened for a reason,” trainer John Ortiz said. “She looked like she was tiring very hard at the end. She dug in. It didn’t surprise me how much heart she had at the end. It was good to see such guts in an athlete like that. It was just a beautiful race.”
The 3-year-old Outwork filly extended her record to 5-0-0 from seven starts, with earnings of $611,376. She returned $7.10 for a $2 win bet.
Autumn Evening, Carmelina, Tricky Temper, Lady Moscato and Belle’s Blue Bell rounded out the order of finish. Pacific Rose was scratched.