Favoritism in most graded stakes races for 3-year-olds or older horses typically goes to the established runner. That makes the Nov. 23 Chilukki Stakes (G3) at Churchill Downs an exception.
The anticipated heavy favorite is Two Sharp, the least experienced member of the eight-horse lineup for fillies and mares with just four career starts. She is also untested at the one-mile distance, having raced exclusively at six and 6 1/2 furlongs.
But Rigney Racing's Two Sharp may be too fast for it to matter.
Since a debut second at Churchill Downs in June, she has posted lofty Equibase Speed Figures of 99, 99, and 100 in starts at Saratoga Race Course and Keeneland. Overall, she has two wins and two runner-up finishes, one of which came in the Prioress Stakes (G3) this summer at Saratoga when she ran just a neck behind grade 1 winner Brightwork.
She is scheduled to add blinkers after a 6 1/4-length follow-up victory against first-level allowance runners at Keeneland Oct. 12.
Junior Alvarado comes in from his usual base in New York to ride for trainer Phil Bauer.
Stakes winners Pigalle and Positano Sunset, both in good form and past winners over the Churchill main track, lead the opposition.
The Chilukki, the eighth race Saturday, is one of two $300,000 graded stakes at Churchill Downs. The other is the Commonwealth Turf Stakes (G3T) for 3-year-olds, the 10th race.
Churchill Downs, Saturday, November 23, 2024, Race 8Entries: Chilukki S. (G3)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Imonra (KY) Luis Saez 121 Saffie A. Joseph, Jr. 12/1 2 2Pigalle (KY) Luan Machado 121 Thomas Drury, Jr. 9/2 3 3Taxed (KY) Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr. 121 Randy L. Morse 4/1 4 4Two Sharp (KY) Junior Alvarado 118 Philip A. Bauer 2/1 5 5Royal Spa (KY) Flavien Prat 121 Rodolphe Brisset 8/1 6 6Positano Sunset (KY) Julien R. Leparoux 121 Ian R. Wilkes 10/1 7 7Oeuvre (IL) Jareth Loveberry 121 Chris M. Block 6/1 8 8Fancy (KY) Tyler Gaffalione 121 Brendan P. Walsh 6/1
