Mamzelle winner Shisospicy to Royal Ascot; $720K carryover for Derby City 6
Churchill Downs backstretch update by Kevin Kerstein (Coady Media/Renee Torbit photo of Shisospicy winning Churchill’s G3 Mamzelle)
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Thursday, June 12, 2025) – Shisospicy, the dominant winner of the $225,000 Mamzelle Stakes (Grade III) last month at Churchill Downs, departed for England on Wednesday afternoon where she’s set to run in the Commonwealth Cup (GI) at Royal Ascot on Friday, June 20.
Trained by Jose D’Angelo, Shisospicy was stabled at Churchill Downs since her 4 ¼-length victory in the May 10 Mamzelle. In preparation for her overseas debut, the filly recorded two half-mile moves beneath the Twin Spires, most recently working a swift :47.80 on Monday. The video of the move is available on X via @MorplayRacing.
Following her win in the Mamzelle, owner Morplay Racing announced a new partnership with Qatar Racing to campaign the filly at Royal Ascot. Shisospicy won Keeneland’s $300,000 FanDuel Limestone before her Churchill Downs triumph.
The six-furlong Commonwealth Cup, introduced to the Royal Ascot meeting in 2015, is restricted to 3-year-olds and is considered one of the premier sprint events of the meet. It will mark D’Angelo’s second starter at Royal Ascot after sending Gabaldon to last year’s Windsor Castle Stakes, where he finished second.
After Royal Ascot, Morplay Racing indicated plans for Shisospicy are to target Kentucky Downs in September and the Breeders’ Cup in November.
DERBY CITY 6 JACKPOT RISES TO $720,419 – Thursday evening’s 20-cent Derby City 6 Jackpot has risen to a massive $720,419 for the sequence beginning in Race 3.
Thursday’s sequence will begin at 5:58 p.m. (all times Eastern) and feature an average field size of 9.1 horses for the six races. The featured race will come in Race 7 – a wide-open field of older horses in a 7 ½-furlong allowance contest.
The Derby City 6 Jackpot tests bettors to correctly select all six winners in the sequence, and if they have the only winning combination, they will take down the entire jackpot. If there are multiple winning combinations, 90 percent of the day’s pool is paid out with the other 10 percent going to the carryover. If there are no correct combinations, the entire day’s pool will be added to the jackpot.
Horseplayers can wager on the Derby City 6 Jackpot, and every race from Churchill Downs, on www.twinspires.com, the official wagering provider of Churchill Downs Incorporated.
DOWN THE STRETCH – Twilight Thursday featured an eight-race card that began at 5 p.m., accompanied by $2 domestic beer, live music from Andrew Lee and local food trucks Black Rock Grille, Flavaville, Gringos and Spinelli’s Pizza. … Saturday is Military Appreciation Day presented by Coca-Cola. All active-duty and retired military members receive free general admission with valid military ID and can purchase discounted $40 tickets to Millionaires’ Row and Skye Terrace by calling (502) 636-4450. … Nominations closed Wednesday for the 11 closing-weekend stakes events. The spectacular weekend of racing to cap the 43-day Spring Meet on Saturday, June 28 and Sunday, June 29 is headlined by the $1 million Stephen Foster (GI). The full list of nominations will be available in the coming days. … For more information about the Churchill Downs Spring Meet, visit www.churchilldowns.com.
