2026 Fleur de Lis Stakes Preview

Key Takeaways:

• The Fleur de Lis may have drawn just five, but it’s a championship-caliber showdown, with three Grade 1 winners, two Breeders’ Cup champions, and a Breeders’ Cup Distaff berth on the line.
• Shred the Gnar has done everything right at Churchill Downs, and after proving in the La Troienne that she can win from just off the pace, the lightly raced favorite looks even more dangerous in another two-turn test.
• Splendora brings elite class and tactical versatility after back-to-back graded wins, but the stretch back to 1 1/8 miles and the possibility of a wet track introduce enough questions to keep the race from being a foregone conclusion.
• Immersive remains one of the most reliable mares in the field, and with a versatile running style plus proven off-track form, she has every chance to capitalize if the pace gets heated or the weather turns.

The early-summer feature in the distaff division, the Grade 2, $500,000 Fleur de Lis is a 1 ⅛-mile dirt race that offers its winner an automatic bid to the Breeders’ Cup Distaff. Though the race drew a field of just five, it is long on talent, with three Grade 1 winners in the group, including a pair of Breeders’ Cup winners.

The morning-line favorite is Shred the Gnar, a four-year-old who has only raced six times but proved her Grade 1 quality in the La Troienne (G1) on May 11 over this course. Despite this race’s Grade 2 designation, however, she may be facing the toughest company of her career. That includes 2025 Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint winner Splendora, who comes off a two-turn win in the Shawnee Stakes (G2), as well as 2024 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies winner Immersive, who chased Splendora home for second in the Shawnee after trouble at the break.

A feature of the late spring or early summer at Churchill Downs since 1975, the race was originally run at a mile. The distance was extended to 1 1/16 miles in 1977, and then to its current distance in 1983. Some of its greatest winners over the years include Hall of Famers Serena’s Song (1996) and Rachel Alexandra (2010), and other stars like Escena (1998), Royal Delta (2012), Forever Unbridled (2017), Letruska (2021), and Thorpedo Anna (2025).

Fleur de Lis Stakes Information

• Race Date: Saturday, June 28
• Track: Churchill Downs
• Post Time: 3:52 Eastern Daylight Time
• Distance: 1 1/8 miles
• Age/Sex: fillies and mares, four-year-olds and upward
• Where to Watch: FanDuel TV
• Where to Bet: FanDuel Racing

2026 Fleur de Lis Stakes Draw and Odds

This is the official field for the Fleur de Lis, including post positions, trainers, jockeys, and morning-line odds for each horse.

Fleur de Lis Stakes Prep Race Results

Three of the five runners come out of graded-stakes races at Churchill Downs. A pair come out of the Shawnee (G2) on May 30, where Splendora got the jump and ran on to win by 2 ¾ lengths over Immersive, who had a tough break but chased on for the place. Shred the Gnar races for the first time since the La Troienne (G1) on May 1, where she pressed the pace and held firm in the lane to win by a length.

Regaled comes out of the Ogden Phipps at Saratoga on June 5. A long shot in that group, she settled at the rear of the field of six and finished fourth, 16 lengths behind Nitrogen but only 3 ¼ lengths out of the dead heat for place.

The only horse coming out of an ungraded race is long shot In Just My Heels, who set the pace and won by nine lengths in the ungraded Jack Bishop Stakes at Prairie Meadows on June 12.

Fleur de Lis Stakes Preview, Contenders

These are the five entrants in the 2026 Fleur de Lis:

1. Splendora: She looked like she found her niche at one turn last year when winning the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint, but at five years old, this daughter of Audible has proven she can go long, too. She won the Beholder Mile (G1) in March, won the Shawnee (G2) at 1 1/16 miles in May, and now stretches out to 1 ⅛ miles for the first time since she was the runner-up in the Santa Margarita (G1) last year. She has sharp but tactical speed, though breaking from the rail might force her hand, as she has a couple of other real speedsters drawn to her outside. The rain is also a question – she has never raced on an off track, her mud breeding is not the best, and rain is likely for Saturday.
2. Regaled: One of the longer shots in the field, Regaled doesn’t always run races that stack up to this level of company. However, she was a blowout winner of the Delaware Handicap (G3) on a muddy track last year and finished a close second to Majestic Oops – ahead of no less than Nitrogen! – in the Azeri over a sloppy track in March. Rain is likely for Saturday, meaning there’s a good chance to see the best of Regaled. She’s a late runner, but she has proven she can fire whether the pace is fiery or more pedestrian, meaning she has longshot appeal here if the wet forecast holds.
3. Immersive: She has been under the radar over the last year and a half after her undefeated championship juvenile season, but she has still been a solid performer – never worse than second in nine career starts. She’s been more of a second-place finisher through last year and into this year, and there’s a decent chance she’ll find one too good again. But, she has the versatility to run well from any kind of trip, a positive between the short field and the presence of speedsters like Shred the Gnar and Splendora. And, with the rain likely, it’s a positive that her only try over an off track was a victory in the Spinaway (G1), where she was able to pass horses to get the job done.
4. In Just My Heels: She comes into the Fleur de Lis off of one of her better efforts, a wire-to-wire score in the Jack Bishop at Prairie Meadows. However, she set a prompted but still sluggish pace in that race. Even with that new forward dimension, she is unlikely to be able to parlay that to victory here – the likes of Splendora, Shred the Gnar, and even Immersive are much faster early than she has ever been. Even with some solid off-track form earlier in her career, she has never run a race that would win this if her opponents show up for their regular day at the office.
5. Shred the Gnar: This four-year-old has raced just six times, so it’s nice to see her string together two starts fairly close together, especially coming off her Grade 1 breakthrough on the Kentucky Oaks card. That last-out win was also appealing because she finally showed she could win a race without leading at every call – setting her up well to stalk the pace outside of a speed horse inside her, like Splendora or perhaps even Immersive. She is a perfect three-for-three at Churchill Downs, and though she has never raced on an off-track, she is by Into Mischief out of a Bernardini mare who has produced four off-track winners already.

Fleur de Lis Stakes FAQ

Q: When is the Fleur de Lis Stakes?

A: The Fleur de Lis happens Saturday, June 27, 2026, at 4:04 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time.

Q: Where is the Fleur de Lis Stakes?

A: The Fleur de Lis Stakes is run at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky.

Q: Which trainer has the most wins in the Fleur de Lis Stakes?

A: Bill Mott leads all trainers with five wins in the Fleur de Lis over the span of an amazing 40 years—his first came all the way back in 1984 with Heatherten, and his latest came in 2024 with Scylla. Though Mott still has many top horses, including reigning Horse of the Year Sovereignty, he does not have an entrant in the Fleur de Lis this year. Two of the trainers in this year’s edition have won it once before: Bob Baffert (Splendora) won in 2001 with Saudi Poetry, and Brad Cox (Immersive) won the 2022 edition with Shedaresthedevil.

Q: Who is the favorite for the Fleur de Lis Stakes?

A: Off her strong victory in the La Troienne on Kentucky Oaks day, Shred the Gnar is the 6-5 morning-line favorite for trainer Brian Lynch. This lightly-raced four-year-old has won four of her six starts including twice at the graded level, and is only more dangerous now that she has proved she can press the pace instead of having to lead at every call. Watch for action on Splendora (8-5), last year’s Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint winner, who has also won two graded races at two turns this year.

Q: Who is the best Fleur de Lis Stakes jockey?

A: Four jockeys are tied with three victories in the Fleur de Lis: Calvin Borel, Kose Ortiz, Joel Rosario, and Shane Sellers. None ride in the Fleur de Lis this year. All five riders in the 2026 edition are looking to win for the first time.

Q: Who won the Fleur de Lis Stakes in 2025?

A: Thorpedo Anna won the 2025 Fleur de Lis for trainer Kenny McPeek and jockey Brian Hernandez. Thorpedo Anna has since retired, and neither McPeek nor Hernandez returns to the field this year.

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