Churchill: Scylla, Ottoman Fleet Pin Up Betty win graded stakes

Juddmonte’s regally bred homebred Scylla was scintillating
while collecting her first stakes win as she tracked pacesetter Xigera before
grabbing the lead at the top of the stretch to easily win Saturday’s Grade 3,
$275,000 Shawnee Stakes by 3 1/4 lengths at Churchill Downs.

A full sister to $3.7 million earner Tacitus and promising,
maiden winning 3-year-old Batten Down, Scylla ran 1 1/16 miles in 1:42.38 to
give Juddmonte its second straight win in the race. Last year Idiomatic led
every step of the way to score the first of five consecutive stakes wins en
route to an Eclipse Award as the champion older dirt female.

Click here for Churchill Downs entries and results.

Fresh off a seven-length allowance win over one mile on the
Kentucky Derby undercard, Scylla was sent to post as the 6-5 favorite. She sat
just off Xigera’s right hip through the first five furlongs as Xigera set
fractions of 24.06 and 48.33 seconds in the field of nine fillies and mares.

Entering the turn, Scylla pulled jockey Javier Castellano to
even terms with Xigera as they crossed the six-furlong marker in 1:11.85.
Scylla grabbed the lead with a quarter-mile to run and drew away for the
comfortable win.

“There wasn’t a lot of speed in the race on paper, so I
wanted to make sure to keep her close to the pace,” Castellano said. “Up the
backside we were going at a good pace, not too fast. She was ranging up to
(Xigera) on her own. We always knew her talent was there, and the way she’s
opened up late in her last two starts, she’s really shown that. I thought
adding blinkers would keep her a little bit more sharp and focused going two
turns. Bill (Mott) agreed, and we added them for today’s start, and it really
worked out.”

Scylla, trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, returned $4.54,
$3.20 and $2.44. Xigera, under Julien Leparoux at odds of 5-2, returned $3.18
and $3.10. Wet Paint, with Flavien Prat up at 4-1, was another 1 1/4 lengths
back in third and paid $2.74. Hoosier Philly, Hidden Connection, Magical Lute,
Bellamore, Take a Stand and Malloy completed the order of finish.

Scylla is a 4-year-old Tapit filly out of the First Defence
mare Close Hatches. With her victory in Saturday’s Shawnee worth $163,800,
Scylla improved her record to 6-4-1-1 with earnings of $414,835.

Ottoman Fleet powers home in Arlington

Godolphin’s Ottoman Fleet from the international powerhouse
stable of trainer Charlie Appleby charged down the stretch over Churchill
Downs’ turf course with an authoritative late kick to score a one-length
victory over Chasing the Crown in the $258,750 Arlington Stakes (G3).

A winner in England and the United States, Ottoman Fleet ran
1 1/16 miles on firm turf in 1:41.45 under jockey Flavien Prat to record his
fourth graded or group triumph. Last year he won the Earl of Sefton (G3) at
Newmarket and Fort Marcy (G2) at Belmont Park. In April he defended his title
in the Earl of Sefton but ran second last out in the Fort Marcy, a neck behind
Master Piece.

Ottoman Fleet earned $153,450 for Saturday’s victory and
improved his record to 18: 6-5-5 with earnings of $812,507.

Northern Invader found himself on the lead when Emmanuel was
squeezed at the start. He led the way through modest fractions of 24.48, 48.16
and 1:11.87 with Ottoman Fleet tracking about two lengths off the lead down
along the inside rail.

Leaving the far turn Irish Aces drew even with Northern
Invader as Ottoman Fleet tipped out to the three path for his late run. Ottoman
Fleet caught the duo with a furlong to run and comfortably inched clear late to
turn back Chasing the Crown.

“In his last start he closed very strongly late going the
mile-and-an-eighth distance in New York,” Prat said. “A lot of his prior races
you could see he liked to lay closer to the pace. He traveled really nicely
around the turn and down the backstretch. He had a really strong kick turning
for home.”

Ottoman Fleet, off as the even-money favorite, paid $4.16,
$2.88 and $2.16. Chasing the Crown, the 3-1 second betting choice under Joel
Rosario, returned $4.56 and $3.10. Irish Aces was another length back in third
under Luis Saez at odds of 15-1 and paid $4.38 to show. Northern Invader,
Smokin’ T and Emmanuel completed the running order. Stitched and Harlan Estate
were scratched.

A 5-year-old gelded son of Sea the Stars out of the
Motivator mare Innevera, Ottoman Fleet was bred in Great Britain by SCEA
Marmion Vauville and Alain Jathiere.

Deep closing Pin Up Betty wins Regret

Three Diamonds Farm’s Pin Up Betty launched an impressive,
four-wide rally from last around the final turn, kicked home to collar Gavea with
three-sixteenths of a mile to run and easily held off a charging Buchu to win the
$272,500 Regret Stakes (G3) by 1 1/2 lengths. 

Trained by Mike Maker and ridden by Luis Saez, Pin Up Betty
covered 1 1/8 miles on firm turf in 1:50.70.

Way to Be Marie, the 3-2 favorite in the field of seven
3-year-old fillies, dictated the terms as she clipped off modest fractions of 23.82,
49.10 and 1:14.01. Gavea tracked in second, Buchu raced in fifth, and Pin Up
Betty was last up the backstretch.

In the final turn Pin Up Betty made the first run and shot
toward the leaders as Way to Be Marie gave way down on the inside. Buchu, the
2-1 second betting choice, made a late charge, but Pin Up Betty made the first
run and kicked on for the win.

Pin Up Betty, at odds of 6-1, paid $15.30, $6.56 and $4.92.
Buchu, under Martín García, returned $3.88 and $3.26. Gavea, with Julien
Leparoux in the saddle at odds of 27-1, finished another 1 1/2 lengths back in
third and paid $7.40. Everland, Way to Be Marie, Hello Hollywood and Sassy
Princess completed the order of finish. Dancing N Dixie, Poolside With Slim and
Faith Understood were scratched.

With her victory worth $166,900, Pin Up Betty boosted her
career earnings to $319,365 from a record of 9: 2-4-1 in nine starts. In her
prior start May 9, Pin Up Betty broke her maiden over the Churchill Downs turf
by five lengths.

Pin Up Betty is a daughter of Constitution out of the Into
Mischief mare I’m Betty G and was bred in Kentucky by her owner Kirk Wycoff.

“We’ve tried to get her to the turf a couple of times last
year but got excluded from some races,” Maker said. “Her dam I’m Betty G was a
really nice turf mare for us. So I think once we switched her to the turf,
she’s really improved for us. Being a homebred for Three Diamonds Farm, it’s
really special to win with her.”