The $300,000, Grade 3 Chilukki Stakes Presented by Resolute Racing at Churchill Downs is the third race on the track’s Nov. 15 card, which also features the 27th running of the Claiming Crown in races four through 11. A field of seven fillies and mares are set to line up for the Chilukki, contested at one mile on the dirt. It’s a balanced group that blends proven graded stakes performers with rising talents.
Impel, one of two entrants for trainer Brad Cox, will start from the inside post position with Florent Geroux in the irons. Geroux rode the Quality Road filly to a a stakes win last summer at Ellis Park. Shred the Gnar is the most lightly raced filly in the field and makes her first start since a dominant seven-length victory in an allowance optional claiming race at Churchill Downs on Longines Kentucky Oaks Day, where she earned a 104 Equibase Speed Figure. The daughter of Into Mischief will be making her first start against graded stakes company. The second Brad Cox trainee, Literate, drew post 3 with top jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. aboard for the first time since last December. Literate had been based at Woodbine and will be making her first start since joining the Cox barn. Runaway Diva ships in from the northeast, having made her last three starts at Colonial Downs, Laurel Park and Delaware Park. The 4-year-old Runhappy filly makes her Churchill Downs debut for trainer Michelle Hemingway. Zadorsky is no stranger to Churchill Downs, finishing first twice and third twice in six career starts beneath the Twin Spires for trainer Whit Beckman. One Magic Philly drew post 6 for what will be her second start on the Kentucky circuit. The daughter of Good Magic enters fresh off a sharp victory in an allowance optional claiming race at Keeneland in October following the trainer switch to Brendan Walsh. Ragtime, the 8-5 morning-line favorite, is a Godolphin homebred trained by of Hall of Famer Bill Mott. She will have blinkers added for the first time since her runner-up finish in the Grade 1 Test Stakes Presented by Ticketmaster two starts back at Saratoga in August.
Analysis and Main Contenders:
One Magic Philly is the class of the race, ranking first in both average class (99) and average speed (98). In her allowance optional claimer victory at Keeneland going 6 ½ furlongs, One Magic Philly won by a length over Hillerito, who came back to win the Dream Supreme Stakes last weekend at Churchill in her next start. One Magic Philly was previously based in southern California, running in dirt sprints for trainer Phil D’Amato and winning the 2024 Grade 3 Chillingworth Stakes at Santa Anita Park. After her Chillingworth victory, One Magic Philly ran in the 2024 Grade 1 PNC Bank Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint, where she finished sixth by just 2 ¾ lengths and earned a career-best (and best in this field) 106 Equibase Speed Figure. The Good Magic filly was winless in her first four starts after the Breeders’ Cup, the last of those coming in September where she finished second to Splendora in the Tranquility Stakes at Del Mar. We just saw Splendora dominate the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint by 4 ¾ lengths a couple of weeks ago. After that race, One Magic Philly switched to the Brendan Walsh stable and won the abovementioned race at Keeneland in October. This filly has run against some incredibly tough company throughout her career and has shown the ability to rebound and win against a strong field. She brings grit and determination to every race and deserves much respect in this race especially given how well she has been working over the Churchill dirt. Her 3-1 morning line offers solid value, particularly with all eyes on Ragtime. She will be stretching out to a mile; however she does have experience at that distance, having finished second in the previously discussed Tranquility Stakes held around two turns. With the added benefit of a one-turn mile chute at Churchill, the stretchout should pose little problem to One Magic Philly as she teams up with jockey Tyler Gaffalione for the first time.
Ragtime looks tough in here as she comes off a third-place finish by just a half-length last time out in the Grade 2 Lexus Raven Run Stakes at Keeneland where she was dead last by 6 ¾ lengths at the second point of call and rallied late on the outside to narrowly miss. The daughter of Union Rags has never finished off the board and won her first two career starts by a combined eight lengths. Ragtime is incredibly consistent as well, posting a 99 Equibase Speed Figure in her last three consecutive starts, all in graded stakes races. After a perfect beginning to her career, she went on to run second in the Test Stakes, getting caught at the end to finish runner-up by a neck. In her penultimate start, she broke last out of the gate and split horses down the stretch to win the Grade 3 Dogwood Stakes Presented by Resolute Racing in impressive fashion in her one and only start at Churchill Downs. This 3-year-old filly also holds the highest late pace rating of a 118.0, more than eight points higher than anyone else in this field. Regular rider Junior Alvarado has been aboard for all five of her career starts and retains the mount for Bill Mott, and this duo has won at an impressive 30% clip at Churchill Downs in all races over the last three years. Mott’s record with Godolphin runners in graded stakes is even more remarkable, winning at 40% from 53 starts over the past four years. The switch back to blinkers for this race adds another layer of intrigue. Ragtime wore them in her first three starts but ran without them in both the Dogwood and Raven Run. Historically, Bill Mott has won at 19% over the past five years with horses switching to blinkers. The numbers are all pointing to Ragtime and this filly will no doubt run a great race. She is stretching out to this mile distance for the first time since running all her starts at seven furlongs on dirt; however, a one-furlong stretchout in a one turn mile is not a concern for this talented filly.
Shred the Gnar, the second morning-line choice at 5-2 odds, enters the Chilukki as the biggest wild card in the field. She began her career in February at Gulfstream Park, finishing a close second by a neck in a dirt sprint before stretching out to a mile in her next start and cruising gate-to-wire to win by 6 ½ lengths, improving her Equibase figure from an 86 to a 93. In her most recent outing on May 2, the Into Mischief filly delivered another dominant performance, drawing off by seven lengths in an allowance optional claimer at Churchill Downs going 1 1/16 miles on the dirt. Shred the Gnar earned a career-best 104 figure in that race, which is the highest last-out figure in this field. However, the filly has not raced since that effort and was a vet scratch ahead of the Grade 1 DK Horse Acorn Stakes in June, which adds an element of uncertainty. Trainer Brian Lynch has won with 14% (3-for-22) of horses returning from layoffs of 180 days or more on dirt. Over the past year, horses returning in graded-stakes dirt routes off layoffs of 90 or more days have won at just 16% from 86 starts. While Shred the Gnar’s talent is undeniable, returning as a 3-year-old from a long layoff in a graded stakes dirt route is a demanding challenge. Still, she is 1-for-1 at Churchill at this distance and has won her last two starts by a combined 13 ½ lengths. On paper, she fits on ability and figures, but with two graded stakes winners drawn to her outside, this will be a significant test of both class and conditioning. Luis Saez has been aboard Shred the Gnar for all three of her starts and will ride Saturday.
The rest of the field, with their best Equibase Speed Figure in similar races, is Impel (98), Literate (98), Runaway Diva (91), and Zadorsky (98).
Win Contenders in Preference Order:
One Magic Philly
Ragtime
Shred the Gnar
