Immersive gives Cox record BC win in 7 straight years

Stakes recap by Breeders’ Cup Notes team (Benoit Photo of Immersive in the stretch of Friday’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies)

DEL MAR, Calif. (Nov. 1, 2024) – Godolphin’s favored Immersive ($6) swept past Vodka With a Twist and Scottish Lassie at mid-stretch and drew off to a 4 ½-length victory in the 41st running of the $2 million NetJets Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies on Friday afternoon at Del Mar. 

Louisville-based trainer Brad Cox set a record by winning at least one Breeders’ Cup race for a seventh straight year for a total of 11 overall victories, starting when his Kentucky Oaks winner Monomoy Girl captured the Breeders’ Cup Distaff.

Ridden by Manny Franco, Immersive completed the 1 1/16 miles on a fast track in 1:44.36. It is the 11th Breeders’ Cup victory for Cox and second in this race with his previous victory coming with British Idiom in 2019. It is Franco’s second World Championships victory and first in the Juvenile Fillies. 

Nooni set off on an uncontested lead that lasted until the far turn when Vodka With a Twist and Scottish Lassie closed in and surged past. Meanwhile, Immersive was angled off the rail to launch a three-wide move that carried her past the dueling leaders and to a clear victory. Vodka With a Twist saved second by 1 ½ lengths over the Tom Amoss-trained Quickick, who rallied from last to be third. 

A homebred daughter of Nyquist out of the Bernardini mare Gap Year, Immersive has won all four of her starts and increased her bankroll to $1,632,700 with Friday’s check of $1,040,000. She won Keeneland’s Grade 1 Darley Alcibiades in her prior start. Quickick finished second in that race.

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Quotes: 

Winning trainer Brad Cox, favorite Immersive – “Obviously, they were rolling pretty quick up front and Manny (Franco) did a great job putting her in a great position. She broke well. Showed her stamina and ability to handle two turns. I think the further the better. She’s a very good filly and showed it today, again. That was a huge performance.” 

Winning jockey Manny Franco, favorite Immersive – “I was pretty happy [with the pace]. I knew the pace was cooking in front, so I took my time and by the three-eighths pole, the horse outside – Abreu’s horse (Scottish Lassie) – passed me and I hit the clear there by the five-sixteenths, I follow her. I say, ‘Let’s go, this is the time.’ She was there for me and she responded pretty well. 

“She’s a grinder. She doesn’t have a big turn of foot and she’s a grinder, but at the same time, I feel like I’m going to get there. 

“It means a lot. These are the races we dream of and that’s what we’re here for. 

“I think she’s the best 2-year-old filly right now, no doubt. I’m just blessed. I’m working hard and my agent is doing a great job – John Panagot … that’s what I’m here for.” 

Trainer Phil D’Amato, second with Vodka With a Twist – “Irad (Ortiz Jr.) did a nice job saving ground. They were wickedly fast fractions. He was wise to stay further off them. In the end, she just fought every step of the way and she got beat by a really nice filly. She was bought for $2,500 and she doesn’t know it. I think she’s going to further develop and I think she’ll be an even better 3-year-old.” 

Jockey Irad Ortiz Jr., second with Vodka With a Twist – “She tried so hard. She gave me everything she had. On the first turn she was right there. I hold my ground, hold my position. Second turn she goes by (the field) on her own. The winner was probably much the best today. But she tried hard and never gave up. It was a great race from her.” 

Trainer Tom Amoss, third with Quickick  – “It was a really nice race. Greg (owner Tramontin) and I watched the race together. When she broke through the gate, I was really surprised at how far back she was. It was not that we don’t know she doesn’t have a lot of speed, but she really fell out of the gate and put herself in a tough position. That is not Dylan’s (jockey Davis) fault. She did that to herself and made the task really tough. We knew that (Immersive) would be tough. I was just surprised she was not the morning-line favorite. If you are a student of the paddock and you watched, you could see that our filly is not as mature as some of these other horses, The best is yet to come for her. She is going to get stronger and bigger. She is like the kid in class whose birthday is in December instead of January. She has not quite developed physically yet, but the talent is there.”  

Jockey Dylan Davis, third with Quickick – “She’s not a very good gate horse and she didn’t break the best. I had to deal with the cards that I had.  They were going real quick up front.  She’s a big closer and she moves nice, so I moved her to the outside around the turn and she made up a lot of ground.  It was a tough group of fillies.  I thought she ran a great race.”