DEL MAR — Sometimes the Breeders Cup anoints greatness, and just as often horse racings championship event adds to it.
Although two-time national champion trainer Brad Cox has developed some of Americas top fillies and mares in the past decade, none was as far along in the fall of her 2-year-old season as Coxs new star Immersive is.
For 2-year-old fillies, shes the best weve had, Cox said, which is saying something, since the 44-year-old Kentuckians prominent females include Monomoy Girl, Idiomatic, British Idiom and Shedaresthedevil.
Cox spoke, accurately, after Immersives 4 1/2-length victory over the tenacious California filly Vodka With a Twist in the $1 million Breeders Cup Juvenile Fillies at Del Mar on Friday.
The win with jockey Manny Franco kept Immersive unbeaten in four starts, with Grade I victories in New York, Kentucky and now California making her a lock for the 2-year-old fillies Eclipse Award.
Just as Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert added to his achievements with his 19th Breeders Cup win in 34 years when Citizen Bull and Gaming ran 1-2 in the $2 million Juvenile later Friday, Cox added to his with his 11th Breeders Cup win in 11 years of entering horses when Immersive won the afternoons second biggest race.
Immersive, a daughter of 2016 Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist, was running in the middle of the nine-horse field on the backstretch of the 1 1/16-mile Juvenile Fillies as Nooni ran out to a 4 1/2-length lead in a too-fast 44.99 seconds for a half-mile.
Cox said he was concerned that Immersive might not be handling the Del Mar track — until he saw that fraction.
I thought, This race has to fall apart, Cox said. Actually, at that point my concern was someone could be coming behind her.
Immersive got the lead in the stretch and pulled away. She paid $6 to win.
Vodka With a Twist and Irad Ortiz Jr. battled on to get second for trainer Phil DAmato. Quickick and Dylan Davis finished third.
Excited about what she accomplished, proud of her, Cox said of Immersive, and looking forward to next year.
Other Breeders Cup races
Juvenile Turf: Irish training legend Aidan OBrien and English star jockey Ryan Moore, who have morning-line favorite City of Troy in Saturdays $7 million Classic, won two races together on the Breeders Cups Future Stars Friday, the second with Henri Matisse in the $1 million race at one mile on turf.
The two Breeders Cup victories gave OBrien 20, tying D. Wayne Lukas for the career record for trainers, with Baffert one behind. OBrien has horses in five of Saturdays Breeders Cup races, Baffert three and Lukas one.
Henri Matisse (who paid $9.80) surged on the grandstand side to win by a neck over Iron Man Cal, DAmatos second runnerup of the day. Aomori City finished third, New Century fourth, the latter surviving an inquiry into an incident in the stretch that nearly dumped Al Qudra jockey James Doyle.
Juvenile Fillies Turf: OBrien and Moore showed America a brilliant filly in Lake Victoria ($3.40), who saved ground from the inside post position, rallied from seventh in mid-race and spurted away to a 1 1/2-length win over the previously undefeated New York filly May Day Ready in the $1 million mile.
DAmato-trained Thought Process, one of Californias top hopes going into Friday, led with jockey Hector Berrios but finished ninth.
Juvenile Turf Sprint: The expected European domination of Breeders Cup grass races began in an unexpected way as Irish product Magnum Force ($27), with jockey Colin Keane, scored his second win in a five-race career in the 5-furlong race worth $1 million.
Arizona Blaze, also from Ireland, ran second at 27-1 with California-based jockey Umberto Rispoli. Favored Ecoro Sieg, from Japan, was never close and finished eighth.
Other races:
• Twirling Queen ($5) and Luis Saez gained on the rail to win the 3-year-old fillys California debut by a neck over Just Nails and Frankie Dettori in the $200,000 Ken Maddy Stakes, one of Fridays non-Breeders Cup races.
Trainer Jose DAngelo expects big things from Twirling Queen, who had won four of her previous five races, all on the East Coast.
Im very sure that next year shes going to be in the best races of the country for fillies on the turf, DAngelo said.
• Chasing Liberty ($15.60) and Irad Ortiz Jr., sent west from Kentucky by trainer Rob Atras, helped to keep California winless in open races on the undercard by beating the East Coasts Test Score and Cavallo Bay in the $200,000 Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance for 2-year-olds on turf.
• Speedy Wilson ($10.80) and Armando Ayuso held off favorite R Heisman and Juan Hernandez to give DAmato the win in the $175,000 Golden State Juvenile. DAmatos Shea Brennan finished third. This was a 7-furlong sprint, and DAmato said he looks forward to running Speedy Wilson longer next year.
• Tequilaandtherapy ($24), overmatched by Thought Process last time out, came from off the pace with jockey Edwin Maldonado to win a head-bob over Grateful My Love and John Velazquez in the $175,000 Golden State Juvenile Fillies for California-breds. Winning trainer Doug ONeills better-regarded horse, Pavel Is Appealing, finished fourth.