Baffert Bids for Saturday Pre-Breeders' Cup Sweep with Always A Princess in Chilukki and Rapport in Dream Supreme

Nov 03, 2010 Gary Yunt

Arnold Zetcher’s Always a Princess, wire-to-wire winner of the Indiana Oaks (GII) in her most recent start, headlines a competitive field of 12 fillies and mares entered for the 25th running of the $150,000-added Chilukki (GII), the highlight of the undercard of Breeders’ Cup World Championships competition on Saturday at Churchill Downs.

The Chilukki, run at one mile on the main track, will go as the third race on Saturday’s 11-race program that begins at 12:05 p.m. (all times Eastern). Post time for the Chilukki is 1:15 p.m. and serves as the lead-in to eight Breeders’ Cup World Championship races.

Trained by Bob Baffert, Always a Princess is one of five graded stakes winner in the field for the Chilukki, which was won last year by Malibu Prayer. Malibu Prayer was nominated to the Chilukki, but will be occupied on Friday with an engagement in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Ladies’ Classic (GI).

Always A Princess is unbeaten in two starts as a 3-year-old after showing much promise at two with a runner-up finish in the Oak Leaf (GI) over the synthetic Pro-Ride course at Oak Tree at Santa Anita and a fifth-place run behind She Be Wild in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (GI) over the same track.  She returned to competition with an allowance victory over older rivals at Del Mar in early September and then shipped to Hoosier Park to score her first stakes victory in the Indiana Oaks.

Martin Garcia, who was aboard for the Indiana Oaks win, has the call Saturday on Always a Princess, a solid 5-2 favorite in Churchill Downs oddsmaker Mike Battaglia’s morning line odds.  The daughter of Leroidesanimaux will break from post position three and carry top weight of 119 pounds.

Other major players in the Chilukki include the Doug O’Neill-trained California invader Emmy Darling, fifth to Breeders’ Cup Classic (GI) favorite Zenyatta in the Ladies Secret (GI) at Oak Tree at Hollywood Park.  Rafael Bejarano will ride the daughter of Graeme Hall, who is the 5-1 second choice in the race.

Ike and Dawn Thrash’s Third Dawn also travelled from California for the Chilukki for trainer John Sadler.  The 4-year-old daughter of Sky Mesa makes just her third start of the year and has not run since a good third-place finish in the Milady Handicap (GII) at Hollywood Park in May.  Calvin Borel will ride Third Dawn, who is the 6-1 third choice in Saturday’s race.

The field for the Chilukki, from the rail out, is as follows: First Passage (Garrett Gomez, 118 pounds), Bronx City Girl (Julien Leparoux, 115), Always a Princess (Garcia, 119), Direct Line (Tony Farina, 118), Emmy Darling (Bejarano, 118), Taste’s Sis (Larry Sterling Jr., 118), Be Fair (Rajiv Maragh, 118), Distinctive Dixie (Robby Albarado, 118), Third Dawn (Borel, 118), Devil by Design (Kent Desormeaux, 118), Double Espresso (Leandro Goncalves, 118) and Alpha Kitten (Joel Rosario, 118).

One race prior to the Chilukki will be the $85,000-added Dream Supreme, an overnight stakes event for 3-year-old fillies going six furlongs on the main track. Post time for the Dream Supreme is the 12:35 p.m.

Heading the field of 11 is the Thoroughbred Legends Racing Stable’s Rapport, wire-to-wire winner of the six-furlong Victory Ride (GIII) at Saratoga in August.   The daughter of Songandaprayer is coming off a disappointing sixth-place run behind Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint contender My Jen in the Gallant Bloom (GI) at Belmont Park.

Trained by Bob Baffert, Rapport is the 5-2 morning line favorite for the Dream Supreme.  She will break from the rail under Martin Garcia and carry top weight of 122 pounds.

Aclose second choice in the Dream Supreme at 3-1 is Gem Inc.’s Nicole H, a 10 ½-length winner in a six-furlong allowance race at Belmont Park in her most recent start.  Ramon Dominguez will ride the daughter of Mr. Greeley, who is trained by Michael Hushion.

Other contenders include Wertheimer and Frere’s Happy Week (6-1), a daughter of Distorted Humor trained by Todd Pletcher, and Westrock Stable’s Tidal Pool (10-1), the third-place finisher to Breeders’ Cup Ladies’ Classic favorite Blind Luck in the Kentucky Oaks (GI).  John Velazquez will ride Happy Week, while Mike Smith has the call on Tidal Pool.

The field for the Dream Supreme, from the rail out, is as follows: Rapport (Garcia, 122 pounds), Nicole H (Dominguez, 116), Helen Belen (Robby Albarado, 116), Storming Suzy (Freddie Lenclud, 116), Wildcat Heiress (Corey Lanerie, 116), Aegean (Joel Rosario, 116), Tidal Pool (Smith, 116), Lou’s Angel (John McKee, 116), Happy Week (John Velazquez, 116), Fuzzy Britches (Calvin Borel, 116) and Magnificent Mia (Javier Castellano, 116).