Immersive regains winning form in Seneca

Champion Immersive won for the first time since her unbeaten juvenile campaign in Saturday’s $173,700 Seneca Overnight S. at Churchill Downs, one of four sophomore stakes on the card. 

Three of those stakes went to odds-on favorites. Aside from Immersive, fellow Godolphin homebred Ragtime rolled in the $300,000 Dogwood (G3), and Smoken Wicked ran up to billing in the $269,000 Harrods Creek S. The trend ended in the day’s final stakes, the $275,000 Bourbon Flight S., when Brotha Keny toppled 0.23-1 shot Chunk of Gold. 

Seneca Overnight S. 

Immersive, the star of last year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1), was diagnosed with bone bruising over the winter. Her setback postponed the entire timeline of her three-year-old season, ruling her out of the Kentucky Oaks (G1) and delaying her return to peak form. 

The Brad Cox trainee resurfaced in the June 14 Monomoy Girl S. over this track and 1 1/16-mile trip, where she was just denied by a neck. Expected to move forward in the Coaching Club American Oaks (G1) at Saratoga, Immersive ran into a freakish Scottish Lassie and wound up a distant second. 

Connections regrouped for the Seneca, and Immersive proved that she retained all of her fighting spirit. Repelling a bold bid from Ivory and Ebony on her inside, the 0.61 favorite reasserted herself to post a two-length decision. 

“We’re really proud how she was able to bounce back today,” Cox said. “She ran fine in her first two starts off the layoff, but today she was able to put it all together. I think it proved she’s ready to go (back into) graded stakes company.”

With Florent Geroux aboard for the first time, Immersive changed tactics to race on the lead through steady splits of :24.10 and :48.16. Ivory and Ebony’s rider, Jose Ortiz, spied an inviting opening on the rail and sent his mount through to attack, passing six furlongs in 1:12.32. Ortiz upped the ante by floating wide off the turn and making Immersive cover more ground. 

Immersive, caught off guard by the sudden eruption, had a tussle on her hands. But the daughter of 2016 Kentucky Derby (G1) champion Nyquist responded with more than enough to put the challenger in her place. Immersive imposed her authority in 1:42.64 and returned $3.22.

“She broke well and traveled well into the first turn,” Geroux recapped. “Around the far turn, she got some pressure, but she never felt like she wanted to stop running. I just let (Ivory and Ebony) make her move and was patient. My filly dug in and ran hard in the stretch.”

Ivory and Ebony was best of the rest by 4 1/4 lengths from the churning Quickick. Next came Liam in the Dust and Flash Wear. Decadent and Next Up were scratched.

Immersive has bankrolled $1,864,900 from her 7-5-2-0 line. The bay rattled off a four-race winning streak at two, from her Saratoga unveiling and the Spinaway (G1) to the Alcibiades (G1) at Keeneland and the Breeders’ Cup that clinched her Eclipse Award. 

Dogwood (G3)

The Bill Mott-trained Ragtime has a different career trajectory in the Godolphin blue. Unraced as a juvenile, the Union Rags filly climbed the ladder rapidly at Saratoga this summer. Her near-miss in the Test (G1), in just her third start, made her the one to beat in the seven-furlong Dogwood. 

Ragtime duly broke through with her first stakes score here, despite getting away to a slightly tardy start with the blinkers off. Regular rider Junior Alvarado stayed patient aboard the 0.98-1 shot, who saved ground on the far turn before angling out down the stretch.

Meanwhile, front-running Delightful Claire was facing increasing pressure from Mega Mil. After carving out splits of :22.84 and :45.55, Delightful Claire was all out trying to stave off Mega Mil in midstretch.

By that point, Ragtime was striking top gear. The blaze-faced chestnut blew by to win going away by 2 1/4 lengths in 1:22.35. 

“She ran huge,” Alvarado said of the $3.96 winner. “Broke a little slow, relaxed, and came with a big run.”

Strong State closed from last to snare second by a half-length from Delightful Claire, who ultimately edged away from Mega Mil. Sturgeon Moon, Gerlin’s Empire, and the subpar Echo Sound rounded out the order of finish. Kay Cup was scratched.

Ragtime’s scorecard stands at 4-3-1-0, $397,400. All of her starts have come at this seven-furlong distance, including her June 6 maiden and July 5 allowance romps at the Spa. She’s now a third-generation graded stakes winner, after her dam, the Storm Cat mare Burmilla, and granddam Nannerl.

Harrods Creek S.

Louisiana-bred Smoken Wicked was the class of the Harrods Creek field, and the odds-on favorite obliged with a straightforward stalk-and-pounce trip. Trained by Dallas Stewart and ridden by Brian Hernandez Jr., the Valene Farms colorbearer monitored pacesetter Semper Primus through fractions of :23.10 and :45.41 before collaring him turning for home. But the race wasn’t quite over.

Jimmy’s Dailys, the 2.43-1 second choice, got a dream run to challenge into the lane. Cutting the corner when Semper Primus and Smoken Wicked circumnavigated wider on the turn, Jimmy’s Dailys joined the fray.

Smoken Wicked had too much momentum, propelling him past Jimmy’s Dailys. Although the favorite dove toward the rail and across the path of Jimmy’s Dailys, he was clear as he surged to the fore.

Jimmy’s Dailys altered course and hit his best stride late, in the manner of a colt who’s better going farther than seven furlongs. The sprinter Smoken Wicked was right in his comfort zone.

Safely in command by a half-length at the wire, Smoken Wicked finished in a stakes record 1:21.73, albeit in only the fifth running of the Harrods Creek. 

Hernandez credited Stewart and his crew for their development of Smoken Wicked, but the trainer preferred to deflect it.

“All the credit goes to this horse and owner Murray Valene,” Stewart said. “What a horse. He’s just such a professional. Brian rode him perfectly.”

Another 2 1/2 lengths back in third came late-running Optical, followed by U Devil You and Semper Primus. Faster Gator was a vet scratch.

Smoken Wicked paid $3.68 while advancing his resume to 15-6-3-1, $711,392. A dominant winner of the Amsterdam (G2) two starts back, the chestnut was most recently seventh in the H. Allen Jerkens Memorial (G1). 

Smoken Wicked’s first two stakes victories came in state-bred juvenile contests at Fair Grounds. From the initial crop of the Speightstown stallion Bobby’s Wicked One, he’s also placed in the Saratoga Special (G2), Bashford Manor S., Lafayette S., and the June 29 Maxfield S. at this track and trip. 

Bourbon Flight S.

Scratches decimated the 1 3/16-mile Bourbon Flight. Hypnus and Excite defected to Friday’s St. Louis Derby, where they placed second and third, respectively, to impressive comebacker Disco Time. Also withdrawn from the Bourbon Flight were Admiral Dennis, Just a Fair Shake, and Whiskey Shot.

That left a three-horse field in the Bourbon Flight, with Chunk of Gold an even more prohibitive favorite fresh off his breakout in the West Virginia Derby (G3). Brotha Keny had been no match for him as the belated third at Mountaineer, and trainer William Morey knew that the equation had to change here in order to change the result.

“In a short field like that, I told Jose (Ortiz) to take it to Chunk of Gold if he could and make it a match race,” Morey said. “He rode a great race, and we were able to get the job done today.”

Brotha Keny leveraged his inside position in post 2, while Chunk of Gold broke a tad outward from post 3 and also appeared keyed up. As Jareth Loveberry was persuading the favorite to settle, Brotha Keny grabbed a half-length advantage through fractions of :23.62, :47.78, and 1:12. 

Ortiz let out a notch on Brotha Keny on the far turn, and the Mo Town gelding began to get away. Chunk of Gold tried to rally on the inside in the stretch, then angled back to the outside, but he could not claw back the deficit. 

Brotha Keny stayed on doggedly to maintain his 1 1/2-length cushion in a final time of 1:55.89. The 2.46-1 second choice paid $6.92 in a race without place, show, or exotic wagering. Run Quiet Run Fast trailed throughout. 

Owned by Lance Kinross and Steve Kinross, Brotha Keny has compiled an 11-3-1-3 mark with $318,190 in earnings. The dark bay turned the corner once venturing to Horseshoe Indianapolis, breaking his maiden, promptly adding an entry-level allowance, and rallying for third in the Indiana Derby (G3) in his stakes debut.