There are two weekends left in Churchill Downs’ fall meet, and previous to an especially lively three-day stretch underneath the Twin Spires beginning on Thanksgiving, horseplayers can dig into a powerful card this Saturday, Nov. 23, anchored by a pair of graded stakes. The primary of these, the Grade 3 Chilukki Stakes, is called after the 1999 Eclipse Award winner as champion 2-year-old filly who went on to victory in what was then the Churchill Downs Distaff Handicap at age 3 in 2000. This 12 months’s renewal drew a area of eight fillies and mares ages 3 and older, and the lone 3-year-old within the area might very properly be the post-time favourite.
1. Imonra (12-1 morning-line odds): Enters off of a fourth-place end to stablemate Soul of an Angel within the Princess Rooney Invitational Stakes, and the winner captured the PNC Financial institution Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Dash subsequent out. She was no risk within the Princess Rooney, nonetheless, and has been overmatched most of the time in stakes appearances, nonetheless in search of her first win at that degree after 9 tries.
Jockey: Luis Saez; Coach: Saffie Joseph Jr.
2. Pigalle (9-2): Claiborne Farm homebred earned the primary triple-digit Equibase Velocity Figures of her profession in her two most up-to-date begins, an upset win within the one-mile Groupie Doll Stakes at Ellis Park adopted by a fourth within the Fasig-Tipton Locust Grove Stakes going two turns at Churchill. She took a short lead within the stretch within the Locust Grove earlier than tiring, and chopping again to 1 flip must be useful.
Jockey: Luan Machado; Coach: Tom Drury Jr.
3. Taxed (4-1): Has earned greater than $700K by means of 17 begins by operating properly sufficient to safe minor purse awards in graded stakes, however Taxed hasn’t received at that degree since taking the George E. Mitchell Black-Eyed Susan Stakes again in Might 2023. She did win an allowance race at this monitor and distance in Might of this 12 months with a 102 Equibase Velocity Determine, which makes her worthy of consideration as a trifecta filler a minimum of.
Jockey: Brian Hernandez Jr.; Coach: Randy Morse
4. Two Sharp (2-1): Three-year-old filly has loads of upside having made solely 4 begins, all since late June, posting a pair of wins and runner-up finishes at dash distances, a type of seconds coming by a neck in a Grade 3 at Saratoga. She enters off of a blowout 6 ¼-length rating in a 6 ½-furlong race at Keeneland in October and should not have any downside stretching out one other furlong and half on this race. Is likely to be overbet however seems formidable on this spot as she’s been working up a storm at Churchill in current weeks and in addition provides blinkers.
Jockey: Junior Alvarado; Coach: Phil Bauer
5. Royal Spa (8-1): Nonetheless in search of a primary stakes win after 13 begins and was no risk in her most up-to-date two makes an attempt on the graded degree, each coming at Churchill final spring-summer. Scorching jockey-trainer combo boosts her profile sufficient to offer her some attraction as an exotics filler, however that’s about it.
Jockey: Flavien Prat; Coach: Rodolphe Brisset
6. Positano Sundown (10-1): This filly has gone winless by means of six appearances this 12 months however did end second in a pair of stakes, together with a stable runner-up effort behind Vahva again in June within the Chicago Stakes at Churchill, the place she outfinished subsequent Grade 1 winner Society. She couldn’t maintain on because the odds-on favourite in her most up-to-date race, a two-turn, 1 1/16-mile allowance race at Keeneland, and is one other contender who ought to desire chopping again to 1 flip right here.
Jockey: Julien Leparoux; Coach: Ian Wilkes
7. Oeuvre (6-1): Essentially the most skilled runner on this area by far, she’s earned greater than $921K by successful a formidable 17 of 32 profession begins. Eleven of these have come on filth, however her finest races on that floor have been at Hawthorne drubbing fellow Illinois-breds. Nonetheless, she’s earned sufficient triple-digit Equibase figures previously to charge an upset likelihood with a high effort.
Jockey: Jareth Loveberry; Coach: Chris Block
8. Fancy (6-1): Daughter of Triple Crown winner Justify has stepped it up a notch in her previous three races, with a near-miss, runner-up end to Pigalle within the Groupie Doll splitting a pair of allowance wins at Churchill and most not too long ago Keeneland. Does her finest operating at this distance and on Churchill’s filth.
Jockey: Tyler Gaffalione; Coach: Brendan Walsh
THE PICK: Two Sharp
LIVE LONGSHOT: Positano Sundown
SUPERFECTA: 4-2-7-6
