Although Close Hatches has not stepped foot on a racetrack in 10 years, her impact continues to be felt on racing ovals around the country.
A daughter of First Defence out of the winning Storm Cat mare Rising Tornado, Close Hatches carried Juddmonte's green and pink colors into the winner's circle of five grade 1s, took home the 2014 Eclipse Award for champion older mare, and earned more than $2.7 million. Now, her daughter Scylla looks to carry on the family torch, just as two of her other graded stakes-winning siblings have done.
Scylla headlines the $500,000 Fleur de Lis Stakes (G2) at Churchill Downs June 29 as the 6-5 morning-line favorite. Despite the accolades accrued by her five competitors, they are distantly listed from 4-1 to 6-1, exhibiting the expectations resting on Scylla's back.
"I saw her last weekend (at Churchill Downs) and she looked good," said Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott. "Looked like she was in good form, good flesh and moving well."
After a pair of impressive victories last year, the filly would remain on the bench for the rest of her 3-year-old season. Returning from a nine-month layoff, she was second in a March 17 Gulfstream Park allowance before experiencing a 4 3/4-length defeat when third as the favorite in her stakes debut, the April 19 Doubledogdare Stakes (G3) at Keeneland.
Mott, who also trained Close Hatches, never lost the high expectations he had for Scylla after the early stages of her career. She bounced back with a confidence-boosting seven-length allowance romp on the May 4 Kentucky Derby (G1) undercard and finally notched that first graded victory with an authoritative 3 1/4-length score in the June 1 Shawnee Stakes (G3). The latter race marked her first start with blinkers added to her racing equipment.
Four of her five competitors in Saturday's 1 1/8-mile are graded stakes winners, among them Shotgun Hottie, and the fifth, Free Like a Girl, is grade 1-placed in each of her last two starts. Yet, the challenge will be exciting for a filly who could prove a factor in the distaff division.
The Fleur de Lis is part of the Breeders' Cup Dirt Dozen Bonus Series, awarding $30,000 to the winner, $15,000 to the runner-up, and $7,500 to the third-place finisher to apply toward entry fees for the $2 million Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1) Nov. 2 at Del Mar.
"Naturally we're excited and optimistic," Mott said. "She's from a great family. She's got to step up now, each race we put her in will get a little tougher."
Scylla is by the sensational stallion Tapit . The pairing of Tapit and Close Hatches has now produced three graded stakes winners, all homebreds for Juddmonte and trained by Mott.
Tacitus was a major piece of the 3-year-old crop of 2019. He followed his victories in the Tampa Bay Derby (G2) and Wood Memorial Stakes (G2) with a third in the Kentucky Derby and second in the Belmont Stakes (G1). In the summer, Tactitus was the runner-up in both the Jim Dandy Stakes (G2) and Travers Stakes (G1) before finishing third in his first start against older horses in the Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes (G1).
At age 4, Tacitus added a victory in the Suburban Stakes (G2) and two more grade 1 placings in the Woodward Handicap (G1) and again in the Jockey Club Gold Cup. In total, Tacitus was a three-time grade 2 winner and six-time grade 1 placed, earning more than $3.7 million.
Scylla's younger brother, Batten Down, scored at the graded stakes level June 22 with an impressive wire-to-wire victory in the Ohio Derby (G3), his first start in such competition. Already proven at the 1 1/4-mile distance thanks to an 8 3/4-length maiden romp, the colt will be aimed at the Aug. 24 Travers Stakes (G1).
Close Hatches also has a 2-year-old filly by Constitution , named Resurge, who is yet to record a published workout.
Mott has had the unique ability to be part of the whole family, and he has noticed one glaring difference in how Scylla compares.
"She's bay, not gray," Mott joked before adding, "She's maybe a little more forward type (in her) training than the other two. She's straightforward, and she's a nice filly to train."
Expectations continue to be high, but it appears as though the sky is the limit for Scylla. Time will tell whether Scylla will be able to accomplish the one thing her dam or siblings have yet to achieve: a Breeders' Cup trophy.
