Breeders’ Cup Distaff: Scylla never trails, romps to the win
Scylla took advantage of an awkward start by post-time favorite Seismic Beauty and ran away virtually uncontested in the homestretch to win by 5 1/2 lengths in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Distaff going 1 1/8 miles at Del Mar.
Sent off at 7-1, Scylla raced through front-running fractions of 22.27, 45.75, 1:10.02 and 1:35.29 before crossing in hand at a final time of 1:48.07 on the fast main track.
A Juddmonte homebred mare by Tapit, 5-year-old Scylla won for trainer Bill Mott and jockey Júnior Alvarado, both of whom were set to partner with Breeders’ Cup Classic futures favorite Sovereignty. That was before the 3-year-old colt spiked a fever and had to be scratched.
Nitrogen finished second, Regaled third, Clicquot fourth and Dorth Vader fifth in the field of 12 fillies and mares.
It was the 16th Breeders’ Cup win for Mott. The Hall of Famer most recently campaigned 2023 horse of the year Cody’s Wish to a Dirt Mile victory which was one of his three triumphs in the championships two years ago. Alvarado won for the fourth time in the Breeders’ Cup after Cody’s Wish in the 2022 and 2023 Dirt Mile and Just F Y I in the 2023 Juvenile Fillies.
Scylla had not won since the June 2024 Fleur de Lis (G2) at Churchill Downs. Last out she wound up third in the Spinster (G1) on Oct. 5 at Keeneland. She finished behind Gin Gin and Nitrogen, both of whom she vanquished Saturday.
When asked after the race whether Scylla's victory eases the pain of Sovereignty being scratched from the Classic, Mott said, “A little bit. They are separate races, separate owners. We still grieve a little bit for Sovereignty’s crew and the connections there. Look, as long as he is healthy and comes out of this in good shape, we will be happy.”
Scottish Lassie, a 15-1 long shot on the morning line, was scratched from the race Thursday. She was designated as being unsound, according to the California veterinarian’s list.
One of the original seven races dating to the first year of the Breeders’ Cup in 1984, the Distaff was won by favorites three times between 2020 and 2024. Monomoy Girl finished first in 2020, Idiomatic in 2023 and Thorpedo Anna in 2024. They all were dual Eclipse Award winners, and Thorpedo Anna was retired as the reigning horse of the year.