Churchill Stakes Winners Ailalea, Buckleupbuttercup Collide in Chilukki

Oct 31, 2011 Gary Yunt

Grade III Churchill Downs stakes winners Ailalea and Buckleupbuttercup head a field of nine fillies and mares entered Monday for Saturday’s 26^th running of the $150,000-added Chilukki (Grade II) at a mile on the main track.

The Chilukki will go as the final race on Saturday’s 12-race card that features nine Breeders’ Cup World Championship races. First post time is 12:05 p.m. EDT with the Chilukki scheduled for 7:40 p.m.

Starlight Partners’ Ailalea, trained by Todd Pletcher, won the Dogwood at Churchill Downs last year after running fifth in the Kentucky Oaks (GI). John Velazquez will have the mount on Ailalea, who will break from post position four.

Avalon Farms’ Buckleupbuttercup, winner of the Eight Belles last year, is undefeated in three starts at Churchill Downs. Trained by Eddie Kenneally, Buckleupbuttercup will break from post position three under Javier Castellano.

The field for the Chilukki, from the rail out, is as follows: Absinthe Minded (Robby Albarado, 120 pounds), Freedom Star (Julien Leparoux, 120), Buckleupbuttercup (Castellano, 120), Ailalea (Velazquez, 120), Maristar (Rajiv Maragh, 120), Lacie Slew (Paco Lopez, 120), Persuading (Rafael Bejarano, 120), Anunciata (PER) (Ramon Dominguez, 120) and May Day Rose (Martin Garcia, 117).

Saturday’s second race will be the second running of the $85,000-added Dream Supreme overnights stakes for 3-year-old fillies going six furlongs on the main track. Post time for the Dream Supreme is 12:35 p.m.

Craig Singer’s Salty Strike, winner of the Dogwood (GIII) this summer, and John Oxley’s Dancinginherdreams, runaway winner of last fall’s Pocahontas (GII), head the field of nine.

The field for the Dream Supreme, from the rail out, is as follows: Grandacious (Jamie Theriot, 118 pounds), Lady Giacomo (Garrett Gomez, 118), Dancinginherdreams (Julien Leparoux, 118), Ridgester (Jon Court, 118), Just Louise (Robby Albarado, 118), Garnet Crystals (Javier Castellano, 118), Miss Dora (Roberto Morales, 118), Salty Strike (Mike Smith, 123) and Splendor Town (Victor Lebron, 118).