Immersive Upsets A Soggy Spinaway

The 2024 GI Spinaway Stakes was a tale of the haves and the have-nots.

On one hand, there was just a single stakes winner in the field. But that runner, The Queens M G (Thousand Words), was looking to sweep the 2-year-old stakes on offer at Saratoga this season–a feat not commonly accomplished. Lined up to oppose her was a talented group of maiden winners led by 'TDN Rising Star' Quietside (Malibu Moon) and Godolphin homebred Immersive (Nyquist). And of the 11 fillies lined up seeking Grade I glory, only one had ever raced on an off surface (54-1 longshot Slang {Omaha Beach} was fourth in her Churchill Downs debut over a sloppy strip May 17).

Undeterred by the conditions, it was Immersive at 12-1 who powered to the front late to spring the upset in the Spinaway. A two-length winner over stablemate and Saturday rival Salted (Tapit) going six furlongs at the Spa July 21, the homebred wearing the Royal Blue had no issue adding the extra furlong. Breaking from the rail under Manny Franco, Immersive was ridden for speed but outrun by several rivals to her outside through the opening furlong. Franco opted to take a hold of his filly and the pair settled along the fence in fifth as the opening quarter went in :22.68. Stuck behind a wall of horses four-wide in front of her around the turn, Immersive was already under a sustained drive as she tipped to the outside of the leaders.

'Rising Star' Quietside got the first jump and looked to clear off but the longshot reeled her in with determined strides, got by on the outside and won going away.

“I love her even more now,” admitted winning trainer Brad Cox. “She is good. She really is. She kind of stamped herself as being good from day one. She showed at Keeneland that she had some talent. We moved her over to Churchill, we thought she was a Saratoga filly for a while. She came up here and ran a big race first time out. I thought she galloped out huge that day, and always thought she'd stretch out–most often Godolphin horses do with their pedigrees, they breed for two-turn horses. I think she'll handle the two turns when she gets the opportunity.”

Cox noted that the GI Darley Alcibiades Stakes at Keeneland may be the next start for his newest Grade I winner.

“We will talk it over with the Godolphin team. I would say that probably would be the game plan. I'd like to ship her back to Churchill on Monday and come up with a game plan. I would say that would probably be 'Plan A.'”

Pedigree Notes:

The third winner at the top level for Darley stallion Nyquist, Immersive is also another feather in the cap for prolific broodmare sire Bernardini. Gap Year, who has produced two winners from two runners, is a daughter of GI Ballerina Breeders' Cup Stakes winner Dubai Escapade who was purchased by Godolphin for $2 million as a 2-year-old in training in 2004. As one might expect from such a price tag, the family includes GISW and $3.1 million FTKNOV broodmare Madcap Escapade (Hennessy), the dam of GISW and $1.9 million broodmare Mi Sueno (Pulpit). Also under that third dam is the Deja Vu (Giant's Causeway), the dam of SW/GISP Crystal Ball (Malibu Moon). Gap Year does not have a yearling but foaled a Street Sense filly this spring and was bred back to that stallion for 2025.

A @godolphin homebred #1 Immersive upsets at 12/1 in the G1 Spinaway S. at Saratoga under @jockeyfranco for trainer @bradcoxracing! 🏆 pic.twitter.com/Y11fC7xJvj

— TwinSpires Racing 🏇 (@TwinSpires) August 31, 2024

Saturday, Saratoga
SPINAWAY S.-GI, $300,000, Saratoga, 8-31, 2yo, f, 7f, 1:25.31, my.
1–IMMERSIVE, 120, f, 2, by Nyquist
                1st Dam: Gap Year, by Bernardini
                2nd Dam: Dubai Escapade, by Awesome Again
                3rd Dam: Sassy Pants, by Saratoga Six
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN, 1ST GRADE
I WIN. O/B-Godolphin (KY); T-Brad H. Cox; J-Manuel Franco.
$165,000. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $220,000. Werk Nick
Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus*
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Quietside, 120, f, 2, by Malibu Moon
                1st Dam: Benner Island (GSW & GISP, $305,863),
                                by Speightstown
                2nd Dam: Spacy Tracy, by Awesome Again
                3rd Dam: Tracy, by Theatrical (Ire)
'TDN Rising Star'. 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE
1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. O/B-Shortleaf Stable (KY); T-John
Alexander Ortiz. $60,000.
3–Sherbini, 120, f, 2, by Cairo Prince
                1st Dam: Shady Violence, by Violence
                2nd Dam: Shadia, by Distorted Humor
                3rd Dam: Smokey Glacken, by Forestry
1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE, 1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. ($8,000 Wlg
'22 KEENOV; $5,000 Ylg '23 OBSOCT; $40,000 2yo '24
OBSMAR). O-Bobby Flay, Rocky Top Stable (Ventura) and
James Ventura; B-Pike Place Racing & Roger Keith Long (KY);
T-Mark E. Casse. $36,000.
Margins: 1 1/4, 4, 3 3/4. Odds: 12.70, 2.80, 10.10.
Also Ran: Strong State, The Queens M G, Reliable Source, Pondering, Salted, Tiz Purple, Bellacose, Slang.
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.