Immersive ready for G1 Coaching Club American Oaks Inv.

Godolphin’s Kentucky homebred Immersive is set for her second start off the layoff in Saturday’s Grade 1, $500,000 Coaching Club American Oaks, a nine-furlong invitational for sophomore fillies, at Saratoga Race Course.

Trained by dual Eclipse Award-winner Brad Cox, the Nyquist bay was last year’s Champion 2-Year-Old Filly following a trio of Grade 1 victories, including the seven-furlong Spinaway here, as well as the 1 1/16-mile Alcibiades at Keeneland and the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies at Del Mar – all under returning rider Manny Franco.

After her 4-for-4 campaign, Immersive was given some time off due to bone bruising, according to a January news release from Godolphin. Nevertheless, Cox and Godolphin went on to win the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks with Good Cheer as Immersive readied for her return in the 1 1/16-mile Monomoy Girl on June 14 at Churchill Downs.

There, Immersive stalked and briefly took over to the inside of the pacesetting Anna’s Promise at the top of the lane while returning rival Take Charge Milady simultaneously moved to the outside. Immersive and Take Charge Milady locked horns for a fierce stretch duel, with the latter prevailing by a neck in a final time of 1:43.17.

“She’s doing very well,” said Cox, who has won this race with Monomoy Girl [2018] and Wet Paint [2023]. “She needed her last run in the Monomoy Girl. She ran a great race and galloped out well. I feel like she’s every bit as good this year as she was last year. I really think she’ll move forward off that run.”

Godolphin has won this event with Jilbab [2002], Music Note [2008], It’s Tricky [2011], Questing [2012] and Wet Paint [2023].

Immersive [post 1, Manny Franco], out of the winning Bernardini mare Gap Year, has earned in excess of $1.6 million via a 5-4-1-0 record. Her second dam, the Grade 1-winning Awesome Again mare Dubai Escapade, is a half-sister to Grade 1-winning millionaire Madcap Escapade. 

Hall of Famer Mark Casse sends out the field’s other local Grade 1-victor in La Cara [post 6, Dylan Davis], who earned that designation over course and distance when wiring the $500,000 DK Horse Acorn last out on June 6.

La Cara, a Kentucky homebred for Tracy Farmer, took the Grade 1 Ashland in pacesetting fashion in April at Keeneland before trying to employ those same tactics when ninth in the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks over a wet, fast and sealed strip in May at Churchill Downs. 

With a third consecutive frontrunning trip under returning rider Dylan Davis in the Acorn, La Cara floated over the sloppy and sealed going en route to a three-length score over Grade 2-winner Look Forward, registering a career-best 93 Beyer Speed Figure in victory. 

“She likes her job and she loves to train,” said Casse. “She didn’t like the slop at Churchill Downs, but before her last race, Dylan said to me, ‘this is a different type of slop.’ She handled it great.”

La Cara graduated by eight lengths fourth-out sprinting seven furlongs in August here, in a maiden where subsequent dual Grade 1-placed Quickick was third. Casse said it is nice to know the Street Sense bay has handled a fast and an off-track at the Spa. 

“We know that one of the best races she has run in her life was when she broke her maiden here,” said Casse. “That was on a dry racetrack at Saratoga. So, she likes Saratoga, as do I.” 

La Cara, who holds an 11-5-2-0 record with over $1.1 million in earnings, is out of the Bernardini mare Cara Caterina, a full-sister to dual Grade 1-winning millionaire To Honor and Serve and Grade 1-winner Angela Renee.

Conditioner Jorge Abreu adds another Grade 1-winner to the mix with Scottish Lassie [post 3, Joel Rosario], the dominant victor of the one-turn mile Frizette as a second-out maiden in October at Belmont at the Big A. 

The McKinzie dark bay seeks her first win since the Frizette, capping her juvenile campaign with a fourth to Immersive in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies ahead of a pair of thirds so far this year– behind Cassiar and returning foe Dry Powder in a one-turn mile optional claimer in May at Belmont at the Big A and last out to La Cara in the Acorn.

“She came out of her last race in great shape, I’ve liked what I’ve seen,” said Abreu. “We just need luck. She was in good position last time, but maybe got a little tired. The allowance race before at Aqueduct, draw a line through that. I’m not going to make too many excuses, because I like her going into this race a lot.”

Scottish Lassie was an $85,000 purchase at the 2024 OBS March Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training out of the winning Bodemeister mare Bodebabe, a half-sister to stakes-winner Windmill and stakes-placed Ignitis. She is campaigned by Sportsmen Stable, Parkland Thoroughbreds, Photos Finish, Corms Racing Stable and Abreu.

Trainer Kenny McPeek looks for a title defense with Take Charge Milady [post 4, Kendrick Carmouche] after capturing this event last year with subsequent Horse of the Year and divisional Champion Thorpedo Anna. 

Take Charge Milady strutted her best stuff last out when upsetting Immersive in the Monomoy Girl. The Take Charge Indy dark bay was previously off-the-board in the Kentucky Oaks after starting poorly, following a closing 1 1/4-length second to La Cara in the Ashland. 

Take Charge Milady’s 8-3-2-0 record includes a 5 3/4-length triumph in the 1 1/16-mile Listed Martha Washington in January at Oaklawn Park. She was a $60,000 purchase at the 2023 Keeneland September Yearling Sale out of the winning Scat Daddy mare Price too High, and she is campaigned by James Ball, Sherri McPeek’s Magdalena Racing and Kenneth Rhodes. 

Stonehaven Steading’s Kentucky homebred Sweet Seraphine [post 2, Jose Ortiz] closed under Irad Ortiz, Jr. to beat Dry Powder by a head in the one-turn mile restricted Wilton last out on June 22 at Belmont at the Big A. 

Trained by Cherie DeVaux, the Quality Road bay entered that race from an even tighter nose score when graduating at the same distance second-out under Jose Ortiz in May at Churchill Downs, which came off a more than nine-month layoff. 

“She’s doing good,” said DeVaux. “The Wilton was kind of a quick turnaround coming off the layoff. She’s got a good pedigree and she has to improve to be at this level, but sometimes you feel like if you can hit the board, it’s definitely worth a shot.” 

Sweet Seraphine was bought back for $900,000 at the 2023 Keeneland September Yearling Sale and is out of the winning Bernardini mare Venetian Sonata, who also produced graded stakes-winner Moonlight d’Oro and graded stakes-placed Olive Branch.

Rounding out the field is Gold Square’s Dry Powder [post 5, Jose Lezcano], the last-out Wilton runner-up for trainer Chad Summers. The Gun Runner dark bay, a $525,000 purchase at the 2023 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, graduated on debut ahead of two prominent seconds at Belmont at the Big A. 

The CCA Oaks is slated as Race 10 on Saturday’s 12-race card, which also includes the Grade 2 Alfred G. Vanderbilt [Race 11] and the Grade 3 Caress [Race 9]. First post is 12:35 p.m. Eastern.

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