The Fleur de Lis Stakes (G1) has featured some of racing’s best fillies and mares, among them Hall of Famers Rachel Alexandra, Royal Delta, and 2024 Horse of the Year Thorpedo Anna, who won the race in 2025.
Saturday’s 51st edition of the $500,000 Fleur de Lis at Churchill Downs boasts one Eclipse Award-winner in Immersive and a Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1) winner in Splendora.
Splendora, the 5-year-old mare trained by Bob Baffert, is the 4-5 morning-line favorite in a compact field of five going 1 1/8 miles. She comes into the race off a stalking 2 ¾-length win over Immersive in the Shawnee Stakes (G2) on May 30.
The winner earns a fees-paid berth to the Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1) at Keeneland on Oct. 31 as part of the Breeders’ Cup “Win, and You’re In” Challenge Series.
After a five-race winning streak, including the 2025 BC Filly & Mare Sprint and the Beholder Mile (G1), Splendora finished fourth in the Derby City Distaff (G1) on May 2 after getting slightly bumped by Ways and Means in the stretch and fading out of contention. The Shawnee win, boosting her resume to 14-8-4-0, indicates she’s back in top form.
Immersive, meanwhile, has never finished worse than second in her nine career starts for trainer Brad Cox. The 4-year-old Nyquist filly won her first four races, among them three Grade 1s – the Spinaway, Darley Alcibiades, and BC Juvenile Fillies – in 2024.
She’s been second in four of her last five starts, the most recent against Splendora in the Shawnee and is 8-1.
Shred the Gnar, a 4-year-old Into Mischief filly, put in her best effort in winning the La Troienne Stakes (G1) at Churchill Downs on May 1. With a record of 6-4-1-0 (3-for-3 at Churchill), she is the second betting choice at 6-5.
“She loves this track, and I think if we're going to stretch her out (to 1 1/8 miles) for the first time, it's better we do it at a track we know she likes,” said Lynch's son and assistant trainer, Nic Lynch. “She's a filly that we've learned over time does well with a bit of space in between her races. Timing-wise, from the La Troienne to the Fleur de Lis made perfect sense.”
The longshots are Regaled (10-1) and In Just My Heels (20-1).
Post time for the Fleur de Lis (race 7) is 4:04 p.m. ET. The race is among the top undercard events leading up to the $2 million Stephen Foster Stakes (G1), headlined by reigning Horse of the Year Sovereignty, White Abarrio, and Magnitude.
Richard Rosenblatt is an award-winning journalist and former Associated Press Horse Racing Editor. Currently, he serves as the news editor at US Racing, overseeing exclusive content from contributors worldwide.
