Juddmonte’s impeccably bred Scylla , stakes placed and 3-for-5 without blinkers, has brought her game to another level with their addition.
Showing improved focus with the equipment on, the Scylla tracked pacesetting Xigera in the June 1 Shawnee Stakes (G3) at Churchill Downs and kicked away from that rival and fellow graded stakes winners Wet Paint and Hoosier Philly to win the $275,000 race by 3 1/4 lengths.
The full sister to Tacitus and Batten Down, #7 Scylla gets blinkers and makes it back-to-back wins in the G3 Shawnee at Churchill Downs under @jjcjockey for trainer Bill Mott! 🤩 @JuddmonteFarms
🎥 #TwinSpiresReplay pic.twitter.com/fO3qld0gfL
— TwinSpires Racing 🏇 (@TwinSpires) June 1, 2024
The 4-year-old daughter of Tapit , out of the grade 1-winning First Defence mare Close Hatches , notched the first graded stakes win of her six-race career.
Though she had not won a stakes race before Saturday, the betting public accurately believed the Bill Mott trainee was up to the challenge. They backed her to 7-5 favoritism, and she delivered under Hall of Famer Javier Castellano, running 1 1/16 miles on a fast track in 1:42.38. She returned $4.54 for a $2 win wager.
“I thought adding blinkers would keep her a little bit more sharp and focused going two turns,” Castellano said. “Bill agreed, and we added them for today’s start, and it really worked out.”
Xigera, who set fractions of :24.06, :48.33, and 1:11.85, was a clear second but no match for the winner. Wet Paint rallied to catch Hoosier Philly to show.
Scylla is a full sister to three-time grade 2 winner and 2019 Belmont Stakes (G1) and Travers Stakes (G1) runner-up Tacitus .
Tapit stands for $185,000 at Gainesway in Kentucky.
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