Churchill Downs Update: Cox Hopes Champion Immersive Can Returns to Winner's Circle in Saturday's Seneca

Sep 19, 2025

Godolphin’s champion filly Immersive has yet to find the winner’s circle during her brief 3-year-old campaign but trainer Brad Cox hopes the filly can return to her 2-year-old form at her home track in Saturday’s $175,000 Seneca Overnight Stakes (Listed) at Churchill Downs.

“She ran well at Churchill Downs in the Monomoy Girl in June,” Cox said. “After that race we sent her back up to Saratoga for the second start off the layoff in the Coaching Club American Oaks and (Scottish Lassie) ran away with things in a really short field. We got her back home to Churchill after that race and she’s had five solid works leading into the Seneca. We’re hoping she can bounce back on Saturday in her third start off the layoff.”

Immersive had a brilliant 2-year-old campaign, winning the Spinaway (GI) and Alcibiades (GI) prior to a 4 ½-length score in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (GI).

Saturday’s Seneca will mark the first time jockey Florent Geroux will ride the daughter of Nyquist. She will break from the rail in the field of seven 3-year-old fillies.

The Seneca, run at 1 1/16 miles, will go as Race 8 with a post time of 4:26 p.m. (all times Eastern). First post is 12:45 p.m.

The field from the rail out (with jockey, trainer and morning line odds):

Immersive (Geroux, Cox, 6-5)
Next Up (Mario Gutierrez, Matt Sims, 12-1)
Ivory and Ebony (Jose Ortiz, Dale Romans, 8-1)
Decadent (Manny Esquivel, Kenny McPeek, 8-1)
Liam in the Dust (Luan Machado, Rodolphe Brisset, 6-1)
Flash Wear (Corey Lanerie, Tommy Vance, 12-1)
Quickick (Brian Hernandez Jr., Tom Amoss, 5-2)
SATURDAY STAKES NEWS AND NOTES – Saturday’s strong 11-race program at Churchill Downs will feature four stakes races, headlined by the $300,000 Dogwood Stakes presented by Resolute Racing (Grade III). The program also includes the $300,000 Bourbon Trail; $300,000 Harrods Creek; and $175,000 Seneca Overnight Stakes (Listed).

The Dogwood is led by two fillies exiting last month’s Test Stakes (GI) at Saratoga: Gabriel Duignan’s Echo Sound and Godolphin’s Ragtime.

Echo Sound, made the 6-5 morning-line favorite after finishing sixth in the Test, tuned up for Saturday’s race at Keeneland, working a half-mile in :47.80 on Sept. 12 outside stablemate Glamorama. Florent Geroux, who was aboard for the drill, will ride from the rail.

Ragtime will remove blinkers following her runner-up effort in the Test. She worked without them during a half-mile move in :50.80 on Sept. 15 at Churchill Downs while outside stablemate Cabaletta.

Rigney Racing’s Delightful Claire did not run in the Test but broke her maiden at the same seven-furlong distance on the same day at Saratoga, drawing off by 9 ¼ lengths in 1:22.77 – .33 seconds faster than the Test.

“We’ll see if she can back up that maiden win,” trainer Phil Bauer said. “She ran huge that day and the final time was faster than the field went in the Test. But she needs to back that up against this field.”

In the Bourbon Trail, several horses have opted for other spots, including Friday night’s St. Louis Derby. Excite and Hypnus both shipped to Fairmont for that race, while Admiral Dennis, cross-entered in both races, has been sent to the farm and will not run.

Here are the fields for each of the four stakes (with jockey, trainer and morning line odds):

$300,000 Harrods Creek (Race 7, 3:54 p.m.):

Optical (James Graham, Keith Desormeaux, 15-1)
Semper Primus (Walter Rodriguez, Jimmy DiVito, 4-1)
Jimmy’s Dailys (Jose Ortiz, Brian Lynch, 7-2)
U Devil You (Edgar Morales, John Ortiz, 6-1)
Smoken Wicked (Brian Hernandez Jr., Dallas Stewart, 8-5)
Faster Gator (Jaime Torres, Anthony Farrior, 3-1)
$175,000 Seneca Overnight Stakes (Listed) (Race 8, 4:26 p.m.):

Immersive (Florent Geroux, Brad Cox, 6-5)
Next Up (Mario Gutierrez, Matt Sims, 12-1)
Ivory and Ebony (Jose Ortiz, Dale Romans, 8-1)
Decadent (Manny Esquivel, Kenny McPeek, 8-1)
Liam in the Dust (Luan Machado, Rodolphe Brisset, 6-1)
Flash Wear (Corey Lanerie, Tommy Vance, 12-1)
Quickick (Brian Hernandez Jr., Tom Amoss, 5-2)
$300,000 Dogwood Stakes presented by Resolute Racing (Race 9, 4:58 p.m.):

Echo Sound (Florent Geroux, Rusty Arnold II, 9-5)
Gerlin’s Empire (Brian Hernandez Jr., Dallas Stewart, 20-1)
Kay Cup (Jaime Torres, Jorge Abreu, 8-1)
Ragtime (Junior Alvarado, Bill Mott, 2-1)
Strong State (James Graham, Al Stall Jr., 15-1)
Sturgeon Moon (Cristian Torres, Will Walden, 10-1)
Delightful Claire (Jose Ortiz, Phil Bauer, 3-1)
Mega Mil (Axel Concepcion, John Servis, 20-1)
$300,000 Bourbon Flight (Race 10, 5:29 p.m.):

Run Quiet Run Fast (Marcelino Pedroza Jr., Gerardo Rodriguez, 30-1)
Brotha Keny (Jose Ortiz, Bill Morey, 6-1)
Excite (Irad Ortiz Jr., Bill Mott, 5-1)
Hypnus (Brian Hernandez Jr., Kenny McPeek, 8-1)
Chunk of Gold (Loveberry, West, 8-5)
Whiskey Shot (Florent Geroux, Rodolphe Brisset, 20-1)
Admiral Dennis (Machado, Cox, 2-1)
Just a Fair Shake (Axel Concepcion, Daniel McKenzie, 15-1)
DOWN THE STRETCH – Friday’s 10-race card at Churchill Downs featured a $69,417 carryover in the 20-cent Derby City 6 Jackpot that began in Race 5. The new $3 Late Pick 3 began in Race 8. … “Inside Churchill Downs” resumes Friday at 6 p.m. on ESPN Louisville. The one-hour show will preview all of Saturday’s action at Churchill Downs and around the country. Fans outside the Louisville area can listen live on www.espnlouisville.com. … Sunday is Family Adventure Day: Purple Takeover featuring a meet-and-greet with stars from professional soccer teams Louisville City FC and Racing Louisville along with 15 kid-friendly activities. … For the latest information about the Churchill Downs September Meet, visit www.churchilldowns.com.