Ragtime cruises to victory in the G3 Dogwood, Credit Kurtis Coady
Churchill Downs Press
Godolphin’s talented 3-year-old filly Ragtime returns to Churchill Downs to headline the 40th running of the $300,000 Chilukki presented by Resolute Racing (Grade III), the feature on next Saturday’s 11-race program that also includes the 27th Claiming Crown, which showcases eight supercharged starter allowance races for North America’s top blue-collar horses.
The action kicks off at 1 p.m. (all time Eastern) with the first of eight Claiming Crown races to go as Race 4 at 2:28 p.m. The one-mile Chilukki for fillies and mares will go as Race 3 at 1:58 p.m.
Trained by Bill Mott, Ragtime has never finished outside the trifecta in the first five starts of her career with three wins, one second and one third. Among her three victories was a 2 ¼-length score in the Sept. 20 Dogwood Stakes presented by Resolute Racing (GII) at Churchill Downs. The daughter of Union Rags will break from post No. 7 under Junior Alvarado.
The Chilukki Stakes (with jockey and trainer):
Impel (Florent Geroux, Brad Cox)
Shred the Gnar (Luis Saez, Brian Lynch)
Literate (Irad Ortiz Jr., Brad Cox)
Runaway Diva (Jose Ortiz, Michelle Hemingway)
Zadorsky (Joe Ramos, Whit Beckman)
One Magic Philly (Tyler Gaffalione, Brendan Walsh)
Ragtime (Alvarado, Mott)
One of the co-features on Saturday’s card is the $300,000 Claiming Crown Jewel which will go as Race 10 at 5:55 p.m. Run at 1 1/8-mile, the marquee event of the Claiming Crown includes a wide-open cast of 12 horses that raced for a claiming price of $35,000 or less in 2024-25 including Dede McGehee’s 2024 Jewel third-place finisher Welaka; Bush Racing Stable’s recent Parx stakes winner Point Dume; Kenwood Racing and Kelly Breen’s Claiming Crown Jewel Preview winner Cadet Corps; and local allowance winners Ron Hendrickson’s Bernin Hot and BAG Racing Stables, Miller Racing, Derek Paul, Mathis Stable, Paul Braverman and Timonthy Pinch’s Navajo Warrior.
The Claiming Crown Jewel (with jockey and trainer):
Gilded Craken (Jose Ortiz, Joe Sharp)
Cadet Corps (Junior Alvarado, Kelly Breen)
Happy Strike (Manny Esquivel, Dewaine Loy)
Overstatement (Luan Machado, Kenny Miller)
Alternate Reality (Brian Hernandez Jr., Joe Sharp)
Welaka (Adam Beschizza, Kelsey Danner)
Double Your Money (Melvis Gonzalez, Benjamin Dunn)
Le Gris (Axel Concepcion, Rudy Rodriguez)
Carolo Rapido (Ben Curtis, Eddie Kenneally)
Bernin Hot (Luis Saez, Rohan Crichton)
Dance Some Mo (Francisco Arrieta, Tom Van Berg)
Navajo Warrior (Irad Oritz Jr., Saffie Joseph Jr.)
Point Dume (Tyler Gaffalione, Tim Kreiser)
American Law (Jaime Torres, Sarah Shaffer)
AE. Brilliant Man (Gabe Saez, Jade Cunningham)
AE. Dr. Storm (Eduardo Gallardo, Edgar Espinoza)
Other key races on the Claiming Crown include the $175,000 Emerald Stakes for horses that have started for a claiming tag of $25,000 or less in 2024-25.
Run at 1 1/16 miles on turf as the finale at 5:55 p.m., the over-subscribed field includes Anthony Rogers’ 2024 Emerald winner Echo Lane. Trained by Rohan Crichton, Echo Lane scored a half-length victory in last year’s race. The Florida-bred son of Treasure Beach (GB) has won seven of his 24 starts including two wins at Churchill Downs. The 4-year-old colt will break from post No. 9 under Luis Saez, who was aboard for last year’s victory.
The Claiming Crown Emerald (with jockey and trainer):
Gewuztraminer (Manny Esquivel, Cipriano Contreras)
Goes the Clown (Irad Ortiz Jr., Mike Maker)
Risk Manager (Tyler Gaffalione, Mike Maker)
Nantasket Beach (Julien Leparoux, Lauren Robson)
Stroke of Midnight (Ben Curtis, Milton Nunez)
Azoi (Andres Calleja, Ismael Bahena)
Mister Abarrio (Jose Ortiz, Saffie Joseph Jr.)
Grounded (Rosario Montanez, Scooter Davis)
Echo Lane (Luis Saez, Rohan Crichton)
King Curlin (Chris Emigh, Brittany Vanden Berg)
Swiss Slang (Oscar Villarreal, Yoni Orantes)
Kalik (Jose Ferrer, Sebastian Pulgarin)
AE. Protonic Power (Julio Felix, Armando Hernandez)
AE. Franz Josef (Jose Ortiz, Glenn Wismer)
AE. Rancho (Joe Ramos, Rey Hernandez)
Overall, Saturday’s card will include three Pick 5s starting in Races 1, 4 and 7. The middle and late Pick 5s will include all Claiming Crown races.
Here are the other fields for the Claiming Crown in order of post positions (with jockey and trainer):
The $150,000 Tiara (Race 5 at 2:57 p.m.):
Settling Storm (Mario Gutierrez, Pavel Matejka)
Our Liberty Belle (Manny Esquivel, Joe Sharp)
Getaway Palace (Francisco Martinez, Ruperto Perez)
Story Hour (Keith Asmussen, Steve Asmussen)
Vinos Angel (Walter Rodriguez, Ismael Bahena)
Nerazurri (Jose Ortiz, Mark Casse)
Ashima (Irad Ortiz Jr., Sal Santoro)
Lady Outofthe Blue (Frankie Pennington, Michael Matz)
Morning Miracle (Jaime Torres, Jordan Blair)
Windy Walk (Luis Saez, Chris Davis)
Goats On a Tree (Tyler Gaffalione, Mike Maker)
Cairo Street (Forest Boyce, Lacey Gaudet)
AE. Seat At the Table (Junior Alvarado, Phil Antonacci)
AE. Show Off (Francisco Arrieta, Fausto Gutierrez)
AE. Differently (Joseph Trejos, Bentley Combs)
AE. Ask Amanda (Oscar Villarreal, Ismael Bahena)
The $150,000 Canterbury Tom Metzen Memorial (Race 8 at 4:25 p.m.):
Speed Figures (Irad Ortiz Jr., Kelly Breen)
Spoke (Marcelino Pedroza Jr., Jose Camejo)
Sosua Summer (Luis Saez, Victor Barboza Jr.)
Frosty View (Abel Cedillo, Joel Berndt)
Final Verdict (Tyler Gaffalione, Edward Barker)
Shape Note (Jose Ortiz, Mike Maker)
Chiseler (Christopher Emigh, Brittany Vanden Berg)
Pinfire (Axel Concepcion, Mike Tomlinson)
Chiringo (Manny Esquivel, Genaro Garcia)
Vinsanity (Luan Machado, Rudy Rodriguez)
Bad Beat Brian (Erik Asmussen, Steve Asmussen)
Fluid Situation (Jaime Torres, Kevin Rice)
AE. High Front (Keith Asmussen, Steve Asmussen)
AE. All Jokes Aside (Luis Saez, Anna Meah)
AE. Chromed Impulse (Francisco Arrieta, Nik Goodwin)
AE. Mr. Melo (Jann Hernandez, Rey Hernandez)
The $125,000 Rapid Transit (Race 9 at 4:55 p.m.):
Papa Yo (Tyler Bacon, Chris Hartman)
Miacomet (Mario Gutierrez, Gustavo Esquivel)
American Outlaw (Cristian Torres, Norm Casse)
Soze (Francisco Martinez, Elliot Martinez)
Twirling Trolliet (Emmanuel Esquivel, Jordan Blair)
Lemon Drop Shot (Francisco Arrieta, Fernando Bahena)
My Noble Knight (Jose Ortiz, Tom Amoss)
Takeschargesmiling (Tyler Gaffalione, Charlton Baker)
Freedom Stance (Corey Lanerie, Matt Kordenbrock)
Global Sensation (Axel Concepcion, Tom Molloy)
Gilmore (Luis Saez, Joe Sharp)
Keen Cat (Brian Hernandez Jr., Randy Morse)
Nation (Irad Ortiz Jr., Bob Hess Jr.)
Unlimitedpotential (Jaime Torres, Mertkan Kantarmaci)
AE. Penrod (Jaime Torres, Dana Hancock)
AE. Air Cav (Walter Rodriguez, Ismael Bahena)
AE. Overbore (Alex Achard, Kevin Fletcher)
AE. Bottles (James Graham, Matt Kordenbrock)
The $100,000 Ready’s Rocket Express (Race 4 at 2:28 p.m.):
Swaggish (Luis Saez, Joe Sharp)
Illini (Gabe Saez, Destin Heath)
Spotted Bull (Jordano Tunon, Jonathaniel Badillo)
Raymond (Tyler Bacon, Tim Martin)
Wound Up (Jose Ortiz, Librado Barocio)
Sharp Warning (Larren Delorme, Kayla Warren)
Concrete Glory (Irad Ortiz Jr., Saffie Joseph Jr.)
Panthor (Brandon Tapara, Michelle Winters)
Tap in Formation (Francisco Martinez, Irving Rodriguez)
Empire’s Best (Amanda Poston, Joe Roberts)
The $100,000 Kent Stirling Memorial (Race 6 at 3:26 p.m.):
King’s River (Ismerio Villalobos, Jose Magana)
El Perfecto (Ben Curtis, Andy Rogers)
Money Run (Tyler Gaffalione, Peter Miller)
Shotshell (Amanda Poston, Joe Roberts)
Time for Trouble (Corey Lanerie, Jeff Hiles)
Curlin’s Malibu (Luis Saez, Joe Sharp)
Freedom Road (Irad Ortiz Jr., Richard Sillaman)
Metatron’s Muse (Tyler Bacon, Chris Hartman)
Daddy Justify (Manny Esquivel, Greg Foley)
Hoodlum (Cristian Torres, David Jacobson)
I Feelucky Tonite (Dexter Haddock, Jacinto Solis)
Blast Radius (Jose Ortiz, Luis Ramirez)
AE. Synstatic (Eduardo Gallardo, Martin Escobar)
AE. Liam the Brave (Mario Gutierrez, Gustavo Esquivel)
AE. Swiss Guard (Francisco Arrieta, Steve Manley)
AE. Knox (Emily Ellingwood, Chad Summers)
The $100,000 Glass Slipper (Race 7 at 3:55 p.m.):
Oops and Downs (Assael Espinoza, Dan Ward)
Onmywaytosavthday (Tyler Gaffalione, David Jacobson)
Angelas Party Girl (Francisco Arrieta, Nik Goodwin)
Pink Rose (Abner Adorno, Ernesto Padilla-Preciado)
Jubilant Joanie (Irad Ortiz Jr., Rick Dutrow Jr.)
What If (Andres Calleja, Ismael Bahena)
Two Hearted (Julio Felix, Max Quinonez)
Savannamarie (Abel Cedillo, Nery Alvarez)
Sadie the Goat (Alexander Chavez, Nestor Rivera)
Beau Soleil (Erik Asmussen, Steve Asmussen)
Next Girl (Jose Ortiz, Robert Bailes)
Lika Rolling Stone (Manny Esquivel, Antiono Arriaga)
Mercy Warren (Brian Hernandez Jr., Joe Sharp)
Lucky Ana (Oscar Villarreal, Sergio Donjuan)
