Scylla turned the Distaff into a one-horse race. (Jenny Doyle/Beyond the Wire)
Classic Saturday: Longines Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1)
Release of the Breeders Cup
DEL MAR, Calif. – Juddmonte’s very own breeder Scylla ($17.20) moved to the front and continued to post a 5 ½-length victory over Nitrogen to win the 42nd running of the $2 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1) for fillies and mares on Saturday afternoon at Del Mar.
Trained by Bill Mott and ridden by Junior Alvarado, Scylla completed the 1 1/8 miles on a fast track in 1:48.07. The win is Mott’s sixth in the Distaff and 16th overall at the World Championships. It is Alvarado’s fourth Breeders’ Cup win.
Scylla, fourth in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1), moved to the front under pressure from Gin Gin, favoring Seismic Beauty by fractions of :22.27 and :45.75, with Nitrogen getting a ground-saving ride in fourth.
On the turn, Scylla began cruising unopposed as Nitrogen moved into second, allowing Scylla to extend her lead. Nitrogen was in second place, half a length ahead of Regaled, who rallied from far back to take third.
The win, her first Grade 1 after four placements at that level, was worth $1,040,000, increasing her earnings to $2,287,795 with a record of 16-6-5-3. Scylla is a 5-year-old Kentucky-bred daughter of Tapit out of the First Defense mare Close Hatches.
Quotes:
Winning trainer Bill Mott (Scylla) – “I didn’t know how it was going to go. She broke down, she put it there and Junior (Alvarado) had the good sense not to drag her back. If you let them take the lead, there’s a risk of going fast. And she did. And she kept going. I was a little worried she might come back to them. I kept watching and she turned for home and opened two (lengths). Last year she ran a two-lap race here (G1 Clement Hirsch, finished second) and last year she didn’t make it the distance.”
Ran in the 1 1/8m Spinster (G1) in the last start and finished third: “It was a great move (laughs).”
Does this ease the pain of Sovereignty’s absence from Classic: “A little bit. They’re separate breeds, separate owners. We’re still kind of mourning the Sovereignty crew and the connections there. Look, as long as he’s healthy and comes out of this in good shape, we’ll be happy.”
Winning jockey Junior Alvarado (Scylla) – “She’s a filly, so you just have to get out of the way. She wants to do things her own way. I think when she broke out there very aggressively today, that was my first thought. ‘If you want to do it, I’ll let you do it.’ And that’s what she did. In the first part she went a little faster to get into the lead, but as I said she made it quite easy for her. In the second quarter I felt her slowing down. She came back to me. She relaxed, so I was very happy. Once we hit the half-mile mark, I thought, “Oh boy, I mean, I feel loaded now.” And when I went home she broke again and I mean it was an excellent race for her today.
Trainer Mark Casse (Nitstof) second place – “I’m proud of her. She ran her ass off. She ran her ass off. I think we now know who the champion 3-year-old filly is. That’s what I wanted for her. I think she earned it today.”
Second-place jockey Jose Ortiz (nitrogen) – “My filly ran incredibly. I had a great ride, but just couldn’t catch the winner. The winner went into the lead in quick fractions and just kept going. I think we secured the three-year-old filly championship, so we’re very happy with that. We obviously wanted to win, but are happy to secure the championship.”
Third place trainer D. Whitworth Beckman (Regaled) – “She ran great, man. We were expecting a big race. I think that could have gone faster with a few breaks, but we were still very happy with her. Excited. Honestly, I think Falls City (G3, November 27) might be next.”
Third place jockey (Joseph Ramos) (Regaled) – “We expected to have some space (to run) early and the (front runners) didn’t weaken as much as I had hoped. I was in a great spot on the far turn and when I asked to run I knew I had a horse under me. I thought we were going to be second, but she still made a great effort.”
Trainer Brendan Walsh (Clicquot and Gin Gin) in fourth and 13th place – “Clicquot ran her race and was in a good spot and traveled well. I think when they came in she was just tired. They set a good pace for her. We’ve been training and running her all year with an eye on next year, so she’s already a Grade 1 winner and I can’t wait to see her back in the barn in a few months. She’ll be a filly next year.” Luis (Saez) said Gin Gin hit the gate quite hard. She just wasn’t the same after that and didn’t break like normal. She never really felt comfortable. It’s a little disappointing, but I think she’s doing fine. We’ll keep an eye on her. It’s just a bit of a shame, you know, when something like that happens.
Trainer Ignacio Correas, IV (Sarawak Rim) in seventh place – “I think after the break everything was ready. She came out with a little run at the end, but after that break there wasn’t much hope left.”
On it being his last race: “It’s great to do it on this stage. I’m grateful to everyone who helped me for so long. It was an honor to be here.”
#Scylla #romps #Distaff