Lloyd Madison Farms IV’s homebred 4-year-old Include filly Sconsin held off Grade 1 winner Bell’s the One in Saturday night’s $300,000 Open Mind S. at Churchill Downs, winning by a half-length in what was a battle of two of the top female sprinters in the country.
Facing just four foes, Sconsin set several lengths from the pace set by Mundaye Call for the backstretch run. Sconsin was kept well off the fence around the turn, where she steadily made up ground to contest a four-way battle for the lead at the top of the stretch. Sconsin forged ahead, but was soon challenged by Bell’s the One. That duo raced to the wire, with Sconsin never being headed.
Sconsin, trained by Greg Foley, ran six furlongs in a stakes record 1:08.75
“A lot of credit has to go to Greg and his team for getting this filly ready to go tonight,” winning rider Tyler Gaffalione said. “She was very sharp and we got into a good position early. There was some pace in front early. She dug in well late to hold off (Bell’s the One). It was a really strong effort tonight.”
Sconsin, who banked $185,000 on Saturday, improved her record to 5-4-3 in 15 starts. Her career earnings total $783,362. She previously won the Eight Belles S. (G2) and Winning Colors S. (G3) at the Churchill oval.
Sconsin could be pointed to the Nov. 6 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint (G1), a race she finished fourth in last year.
