One could argue – and trainer John Ortiz would – that Quietside ran just as well finishing second in the Spinaway Stakes as the filly who beat her 1 1/2 lengths, Immersive. That theory converges with reality Friday at Keeneland when Quietside and Immersive meet again in the Grade 1, $600,000 Alcibiades. Run at 1 1/16 miles on dirt, the Alcibiades is part of the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series, a key prep for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies next month at Del Mar, and a chance for horses who’ve shown talent at one turn to try route racing. “I’m 100 percent confident and comfortable with her going two turns,” Ortiz said of Quietside. Eight went into the Alcibiades but no more than seven will start, with The Queens M G to be scratched in favor of the Frizette at Aqueduct, trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. said. Quietside went favored at 5-2 in the Spinaway, Immersive was a 12-1 shot, but Immersive probably emerges as the chalk Friday. Breaking from post 11 in the Grade 1 Spinaway over seven furlongs Aug. 31 at Saratoga, Quietside got stuck four paths off the fence while pressing the pace, moving to the lead before the quarter pole, and opening daylight. Meanwhile, Immersive stalked the leaders while saving ground throughout the turn, and with Quietside flagging late after ground loss and hard work, Immersive ran her down in the final half-furlong. :: SAVE BIG with a DRF Keeneland Handicapping Package “She’s been a very powerful filly from early on,” said Ortiz, who trains Quietside for her breeder, the Shortleaf Stable. “Everything she’s done, she’s done it with ease and always asking for more. We skipped a work with her [last weekend] because of rain, but we did a mile two-minute lick, steady, steady, but she had a turn of foot from the quarter pole and came home in 23 and one under wraps.” Quietside is by Malibu Moon out of Benner Island, a mare whose best race came around one turn and who was trained by Brad Cox, Immersive’s trainer. And while Ortiz projects confidence that Quietside will get two turns, Immersive looks like the stronger route candidate. A Godolphin homebred by Nyquist out of Gap Year, Immersive not only reeled in Quietside in the Spinaway, her first start after a solid Saratoga maiden win, she galloped out like a freight train, her jockey struggling to pull her up. The filly’s Sept. 30 workout at Churchill Downs told a similar tale. Officially a half mile in 49.60, Immersive only kicked into gear a furlong before the finish and did her best work around the clubhouse turn and well down onto the backstretch. Flavien Prat picks up the mount from Manny Franco and probably is sitting on a winner. The Mark Casse-trained Sherbini closed steadily from 10th in the Spinaway to claim third but finished almost six lengths behind Immersive. She lacks the favorite’s positional speed, though the Alcibiades should unfold at a strong tempo, which clearly works in Sherbini’s favor. Trainer Larry Rivelli said he’ll ask his rider to send Rich City Girl to the lead, and while trainer Rodolphe Brisset has no intention of quarter-horsing Liam in the Dust out of the gate, the filly possesses natural speed and exits a one-turn mile where she raced at the vanguard. “She’s a good gate horse, and going two turns I think she’ll carry herself forward,” Brisset said. Quickick, a $550,000 yearling from first crop-sire McKinzie, will attract support on the strength of a seven-furlong Saratoga maiden win. Tom Amoss, who trains Quickick for Greg Tramontin, added blinkers after a distant third-place debut showing. :: Get the Inside Track with the FREE DRF Morning Line Email Newsletter. Subscribe now.  “She just hasn’t been a very good horse out of the gate,” Amoss said. “We came back quick off that first start. I felt like we needed a quick fix.” Quickick didn’t break especially well but traveled strongly into position down the Saratoga backstretch, going away late to win by 2 1/2 lengths while earning a competitive 79 Beyer Speed Figure. A “big filly with a lot of scope,” Quickick looks and moves like a route horse, Amoss said. Continuity, who drew the rail, also earned a 79 Beyer while running off to seven-length victory in a Colonial Downs first-level sprint allowance. She, too, finished her race like a horse who could handle more distance. But if Immersive continues coming forward, nobody will handle her in the Alcibiades. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.