Immersive Shows Heart in Winning Fleur de Lis

The matchup of grade 1 winners Immersive and Shred the Gnar proved to be a thriller in the $483,500 Fleur de Lis Stakes (G2) June 27. Racing in virtually their own match race for the majority of the 1 1/8-mile contest, Immersive showed the heart that made her champion 2-year-old filly of 2024 in a comeback performance that left the Churchill Downs crowd screaming. The three-quarter-length triumph over the late closing Regaled, who wound up passing Shred the Gnar for second, was vindication for Godolphin and trainer Brad Cox after the Nyquist's highly anticipated sophomore campaign was derailed twice by setbacks and failed to produce a graded win. Given her accomplishments at 2, it would have been an easy decision to retire Immersive to the Godolphin broodmare band, but Cox credited Godolphin for seeing there was still more to be gained by racing on with the filly. Godolphin's decision largely pointed at her season-ending triumph in the Seneca Overnight Stakes at Churchill Downs where she bounced back from finishing a distant second in the Coaching Club American Oaks (G1) at Saratoga Race Course, never looking comfortable in the paddock prior. "When she ran so well in the Seneca, we started thinking we could have a good 4-year-old year with her," Godolphin USA's director of bloodstock Michael Banahan said. "It was great to get her off the mark for this season. We had a start, stop go with her last year, and we're maybe back to where we were with her as a 2-year-old." Odds-on, Shred the Gnar was the clear main challenger after the scratch of dual grade 1 winner Splendora, who defeated Immersive in the Shawnee Stakes (G2) last month. Jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. knew that and rode the race like it was a match race. The two bounded away from Regaled and In Just My Heels, being 8 1/2 lengths clear of them after a half-mile. Following fractions of :23.38 and :47.08, jockey Luis Saez turned up the pressure with Shred the Gnar and headed Immersive. Ortiz had to get after Immersive, going to the crop at the 5/16th pole as they completed 6 furlongs in 1:11.12. But that was exactly what Ortiz had planned for. The multiple Eclipse champion rider got his first experience aboard Immersive in the Shawnee and learned he had to ride her hard early to get the ultimate performance out of her. "We tried to let her do her stuff a lot earlier today, because I knew she was going to come back today, so it worked out," Ortiz said. That confidence proved true. Despite having over a length put on her turning for home, Immersive came back on the La Troienne Stakes (G1) winner's inside, retook command with a furlong to go and outlasted Regaled's bid. The bay filly completed 1 1/8 miles in 1:50.51 over a sloppy, sealed track. The victory kept Immersive in the exacta for all 10 of her career starts and put her in multimillionaire status by increasing her earnings to $2,262,400. She became the sixth graded winner this season for Darley stallion Nyquist, who stands for $175,000, joining the likes of Metropolitan Handicap (G1) winner Nysos. She is out of the winning Bernardini mare Gap Year. The victory clinched Immersive a spot in the $2 million Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1) Oct. 31 at Keeneland through the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series: Win And You're In. Both Banahan and Cox indicated her next start toward that goal will likely come at Saratoga.