December 7, 2024

Regally bred Scylla registers first stakes win in Shawnee

Scylla wins the Shawnee (G3) at Churchill Downs
Scylla wins the Shawnee (G3) at Churchill Downs (Photo by Coady Media)

The four-year-old filly Scylla was bred to be a champion, and on Saturday at Churchill Downs showed further signs of living up to her lofty pedigree by dominating the $275,000 Shawnee (G3) for fillies and mares.

A Juddmonte homebred daughter of Tapit and the 2014 champion older mare Close Hatches, Scylla rated a close second behind second choice Xigera, took over from that rival shortly before turning for home, and opened up through the lane to score by 3 1/4 lengths under Javier Castellano.

Sporting blinkers for the first time in her sixth lifetime start, Scylla registered her fourth win and first in a stakes in the 1 1/16-mile Shawnee. Trained by Bill Mott, Scylla finished off the fast-track test in 1:42.38 and paid $4.54 as the favorite at just over 6-5.

Xigera held second by 1 1/4 lengths over Wet Paint, who edged Hoosier Philly for third by a neck. Hidden Connection, Magical Lute, Bellamore, Take a Stand, and Malloy completed the order of finish.

Scylla debuted in April 2023 and promptly won her first two starts by a combined margin of 10 3/4 lengths, but was sidelined from June until March 17, when she lost by a neck against allowance foes at Gulfstream. A non-threatening third in her stakes debut in the April 19 Doubledogdare (G3) at Keeneland, the bay rebounded to captured a one-mile allowance at Churchill by seven lengths on the Kentucky Derby Day undercard.

Scylla is a full sister to the multiple Grade 2 winner and classic-placed Tacitus and is also closely rated to Juddmonte’s reigning champion older mare Idiomatic, a daughter of Close Hatches’ full sister Lockdown.

Idiomatic remains the queen of the older dirt female division, but Scylla is now a lady-in-waiting worth keeping an eye on.