She Can’t Sing will return to Churchill Downs to defend her title in Saturday’s $300,000 Chilukki (G3), and she’ll be joined in the starting gate by stablemate Oeuvre. The Chris Block trainees highlight nine fillies and mares in the one-mile race.
Unraced since mid-August, She Can’t Sing will make the same turf-to-dirt transition that proved successful last fall when she dominated the Chilukki on the front end by a 3 3/4-length margin. The six-year-old mare has shown an affinity for Churchill’s main track, recording four wins, but the Kentucky-bred daughter of Bernardini will need to turn things around after dropping all five starts this season. Brian Hernandez Jr. retakes the mount.
Oeuvre will bring a four-race win streak to her initial stakes appearance, winning a pair of dirt stakes at Hawthorne before capturing turf allowances at Kentucky Downs and Keeneland. By Shackleford, the Illinois-bred filly has been a win machine over the past two season, recording 13 tallies from 16 outings, and Jareth Loveberry rides the four-year-old early/presser.
Hall of Famer Bill Mott, a two-time Chilukki winner, will be represented by Grade 3 winner Nostalgic. A convincing allowance winner at Saratoga two back, the four-year-old exits a third to subsequent Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1) runner-up Randomized in the Beldame (G2) at Aqueduct. Florent Geroux will guide the stalker.
Stakes winner and Grade 1-placed Hot and Sultry will return from a six-month layoff for Norm Casse. The four-year-old was last seen finishing fourth against a top-class field in the Derby City Distaff (G1), and Hot and Sultry projects to be forwardly placed from the outside with Ricardo Santana Jr.
Other runners include Locust Grove (G3) runner-up Hidden Connection, stakes queen Falconet, and stakes debuter Braganza.
