Scylla prevails in Fleur de Lis

Juddmonte Farm’s homebred Scylla kept her momentum after a rough stretch drive in Saturday’s $499,000 Fleur de Lis H. (G2) at Churchill Downs, withstanding the late bid of Shotgun Hottie by a neck. The four-year-old filly survived a lengthy rider’s objection to score as the .91-1 favorite with regular rider Javier Castellano and

Juddmonte Farm’s homebred Scylla kept her momentum after a rough stretch drive in Saturday’s $499,000 Fleur de Lis H. (G2) at Churchill Downs, withstanding the late bid of Shotgun Hottie by a neck. The four-year-old filly survived a lengthy rider’s objection to score as the .91-1 favorite with regular rider Javier Castellano.

A convincing winner of the June 1 Shawnee (G3), of June 1 Shawnee (G3), Scylla has now won three straight under the Twin Spires for Bill Mott, elevating her status in the older dirt female division in the process, and the regally bred daughter of Tapit completed 1 1/8 miles in 1:49.45.

Scylla raced up close in the Shawnee, but she broke a little slowly in the Fleur de Lis and trailed early in the compact six-horse field, settling less than five lengths back through moderate opening fractions in:24.07 and :48.83. The bay lass launched an eye-catching wide move past rivals on the far turn, striking the front in upper stretch after drifting in slightly to make contact with Xigera, but Taxed was still challenging gamely along the inside.

Shotgun Hottie tried to rally along the inside on the far turn but had to wait behind foes at a key stage turning for home, and the 3.12-1 second choice didn’t get through along the inside in midstretch. She came charging late but couldn’t catch the winner on the wire.

Scylla and Xigera made contact again on the far outside in the stretch, and Occult drifted out into Xigera forcing her to bump again with Scylla, who kept going to narrowly score. Shotgun Hottie held second by a neck over Taxed, who pressed the pace in second before taking the lead on the far turn, and it was another 1 1/4 lengths to Occult in fourth. Xigera and pacesetter Free Like a Girl completed the order.

A debut winner at Keeneland in April 2023, Scylla followed with an entry-level allowance score at Churchill Downs before heading to the sidelines for the rest of her three-year-old season. She needed a couple of starts before discovering her best form this year, recording a neck second in a Gulfstream Park allowance in mid-March and a third as the favorite in the Doubledogdare (G3) at Keeneland, and Scylla has now earned more than $700,000 from a 7-5-1-1 career line.

The Kentucky-bred is out of 2014 champion older female Close Hatches, and Scylla counts multiple Grade 2-winning millionaire and sire Tacitus and recent Ohio Derby (G3) winner Batten Down as a full-brothers. Close Hatches is a half-sister to Lockdown, the dam of 2023 champion older dirt female champion Idiomatic.

Scylla will likely point to $500,000 Personal Ensign (G1) at Saratoga on Aug. 23.