Trainer Dale Romans, in California to saddle Not this Time (Giant's Causeway) for the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile, will have a pair of representatives going postward in Saturday's GII Chilukki S. at Churchill Downs. Engaginglee (Fusaichi Pegasus), second behind Curalina (Curlin) in the GI La Troienne S. in May, earned the first graded win of her career two starts back when she won the Sept. 17 GIII Locust Grove S. at Churchill. She is coming off a fourth-place effort behind I'm a Chatterbox (Munnings) in the Oct. 9 GI Spinster S. The 5-year-old mare has made seven starts at Churchill and has missed the board in only one of those outings.
“Well it's pretty obvious that she likes the track and that always helps when you're running at Churchill,” Romans said. “Hopefully she can step things up and run the way she did here in September.”
Birdatthewire (Summer Bird) capped her sophomore campaign with a win in the Dec. 26 GI La Brea S., but she is winless in eight starts so far this term. Third in the July 2 GII Princess Rooney S. and July 31 GIII Molly Pitcher S., she was fourth behind Haveyougoneaway (Congrats) in the Aug. 27 GI Test S. and is coming off an eighth-place effort over the synthetic in the Sept. 19 GII Presque Isle Downs Masters S.
“She's a Grade I winner and has run against some good fillies this year so I think that gives her a nice class edge over everyone else in the field,” Romans said. “If she can return to form, I think that she'll be highly competitive.”
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