Romans Holds Strong Hand in Chilukki

Though otherwise engaged at the Breeders' Cup in Southern California this week, trainer Dale Romans will send a strong pair into the $200,000 Chilukki Stakes (gr. II) Nov. 5 at Churchill Downs, where his team will saddle 2015 grade I winner Birdatthewire and recent grade III winner Engaginglee in the one-mile contest.

Birdatthewire, a 4-year-old daughter of Summer Bird, has been struggling to find the winner’s circle in her previous eight starts. She’s placed in three graded stakes this year but hasn't been a winner since taking the La Brea Stakes (gr. I) at Santa Anita Park in December of 2015.

She has faced tough compeititon this year, like in the Madison Stakes (gr. I) at Keeneland, where she finished fourth behind multiple grade I winner Sheer Drama, and 2015 Breeders’ Cup winners Stopchargingmaria (Distaff, gr. I) and Wavell Avenue (Filly & Mare Sprint, gr. I). She also finished third behind Spelling Again in the Princess Rooney (gr. II) at Gulfstream Park, third to Genre over a sloppy track in the Molly Pitcher (gr. III) at Monmouth Park, and fourth behind Haveyougoneaway in Saratoga Race Course’s Ballerina Stakes (gr. I).

Owned by Forum Racing IV, Birdatthewire will leave from post 2 under Drayden Van Dyke, who last rode her in the Madison and is seeking his first stakes victory at Churchill.

Romans’ other contender is Engaginglee, a 5-year-old daugher of Fusaichi Pegasus   and homebred for Paul Lichtefeld and Jack Stewart. Engaginglee finished a distant fourth of five starters behind Breeders’ Cup Distaff contender I'm a Chatterbox in her most recent start for Romans in Keeneland’s Juddmonte Spinster (gr. I). Prior to the Spinster, she won the grade III Locust Grove Stakes on a muddy Churchill main track and earlier in the year she ran second to Curalina in the La Troienne at Churchill May 6. Jose Valdivia Jr. will be in the saddle and break from post 5 carrying 121 pounds, same as Birdatthewire.

Another accomplished contender in the Chilukki is Mary K. Grum’s Athena, a 4-year-old daughter of Street Sense  , who won the Roxelana Overnight Stakes at Churchill Downs in late June. Helen Pitts-Blasi trains the filly, who has won four of seven races at Churchill Downs and will break from post 6 under jockey Calvin Borel.

Five D Thoroughbreds’ Kathballu enters the Chilukki off a comfortable seven-furlong allowance victory at Keeneland Oct. 9. Prior to that outing the best effort on the year by the Kenny McPeek-trained daughter of Bluegrass Cat   was a runner-up finish to Sarah Sis in the Chicago Handicap (gr. III) over the Polytrack surface at Arlington International Racecourse. Shaun Bridgmohan will ride the 4-year-old Kathballu, who will break from post 3.