After finishing seventh and ninth respectively in the Spinster Stakes (gr. I) over the Polytrack at Keeneland Oct. 7, Rolling Sea and High Heels will drop down in company, shorten up to the one-mile distance, and tackle each other again in the Nov. 3 Chilukki Stakes (gr. II) on the dirt at Churchill Downs.
Rolling Sea, trained by Steve Asmussen for Millennium Farms, is the 122-pound high weight in the field of nine fillies and mares 3 years old and up. The 4-year-old Sefapiano filly won the 1 1/16-mile Central Iowa Stakes at Prairie Meadows Sept. 8 by an impressive 10 3/4 lengths before finishing seventh, beaten 6 1/2 lengths, to Panty Raid in the Spinster. Earlier this year, she won the Allaire DuPont Breeders’ Cup Distaff Stakes (gr. II) at Pimlico.
High Heels, trained by Gary Hartlage for Anita Ebert, has not won a race since her April 6 victory in the 1 1/16-mile Fantasy Stakes (gr. II) at Oaklawn Park. However, the 4-year-old daughter of E Dubai was beaten just one length in her race before the Spinster, the Aug. 18 Gardenia Handicap (gr. II), won by Pleasant Hill. She will carry the second-highest weight in the field at 120.
Pleasant Hill is back in action after a sixth-place finish in the Kentucky Cup Distaff (gr. III) at Turfway Park Sept. 29. The Distaff was the only off-the-board finish for the Greg Foley trainee, who has three wins and three seconds from seven career starts for Donamire Farm. The Gardenia and the Distaff were her only graded starts, however, and the daughter of Pleasant Tap will have to recover from a 9 1/2-length loss in her last start.
The only horse coming into the race directly off a win is the Todd Pletcher-trained Trendy Lady, owned by the Robert and Beverly Lewis Trust. The Unbridled’s Song filly took her last start, a seven-furlong allowance race at Keeneland, by 1 3/4 lengths. She has placed in three stakes, including the Chicago Handicap (gr. III), but has never won in graded company.
Lady Belsara, Change Up, My Chickadee, Humorous Gal, and Windy complete the field.
$200,000 Chilukki Stakes (gr. II, race 10, 5:02 p.m.) one mile for fillies and mares 3 years & up, dirt
PP, Horse, Weight, Jockey
1. Rolling Sea, 122, Robby Albarado
2. Lady Belsara, 118, Kent Desormeaux
3. High Heels, 120, Joe Johnson
4. Change Up, 116, Jesus Lopez Castanon
5. My Chickadee, 118, Shaun Bridgmohan
6. Humorous Gal, 118, Calvin Borel
7. Windy, 118, Rafael Bejarano
8. Pleasant Hill, 118, Julien Leparoux
9. Trendy Lady, 118, Rene Douglas
