Immersive swept past Vodka With a Twist and Scottish Lassie at mid-stretch and drew off to a 4 1/2-length victory in the 41st running of the $2 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies on Friday afternoon at Del Mar. The win virtually assures her champion juvenile filly honors, as it extends her record to undefeated in four starts including three wins at the top level.
Trained by Brad Cox for Godolphin and ridden by Manny Franco, Immersive completed the 1 1/16 miles on a fast track in 1:44.36. It is the 11th Breeders’ Cup victory for Cox and second in this race with his previous victory coming with British Idiom in 2019. It is Franco’s second World Championships victory and first in the Juvenile Fillies.
“Obviously, they were rolling pretty quick up front and Manny (Franco) did a great job putting her in a great position,” Cox said. “She broke well. Showed her stamina and ability to handle two turns. I think the further the better. She’s a very good filly and showed it today, again. That was a huge performance.”
Nooni set off on an uncontested lead that lasted until the far turn when Vodka With a Twist and Scottish Lassie closed in and surged past. Meanwhile, Immersive was angled off the rail to launch a three-wide move that carried her past the dueling leaders and to a clear victory. Vodka With a Twist saved second by 1 1/2 lengths over Quickick, who rallied from last to be third.
A homebred daughter of Nyquist out of the Bernardini mare Gap Year, Immersive is now 4: 4-0-0 lifetime. She increased her bankroll to $1,632,700 with Friday’s check of $1,040,000.
