Chilukki’s Win Might Be Sign of What’s to Come in Belmont

If trainer Bob Baffert was looking for an omen for Saturday’s Belmont Stakes, he found one at Churchill Downs on Monday when his 2-year-old filly, Chilukki, beat six colts to win the $171,750 Kentucky Breeders’ Cup Stakes.

Baffert will be trying to beat males with another filly, Silverbulletday, in the Belmont. Silverbulletday, who has won 11 of 12 starts while racing only against fillies, could be second choice to Charismatic, who would become the 12th Triple Crown champion, and the first since 1978, if he added the Belmont to his wins in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness.

Chilukki, sent off at 1-2 odds, beat Barrier by 4 1/2 lengths as she ran 5 1/2 furlongs in 1:04, missing the track record by two-fifths of a second. Robby Albarado rode the winner. In Chilukki’s first race at Churchill on April 28, she won by 9 1/4 lengths and broke the track record for 4 1/2 furlongs.

This was the fifth time in 12 runnings that a filly has won the Kentucky Breeders’ Cup.

Besides Charismatic and Silverbulletday, others expected to run in the Belmont include Menifee, Stephen Got Even, Adonis, Patience Game, Lemon Drop Kid, Pineaff, Vision And Verse, Best Of Luck, Lead Em Home, Prime Directive and Teletable. Charismatic and Silverbulletday are scheduled to have their final workouts for the Belmont today at Churchill Downs and will fly on the same plane to New York on Wednesday.