LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Three of the top contenders in the Chilukki Stakes had an October race they badly needed. “And now we should be all set,” said Paulo Lobo, speaking unintentionally not only for himself and Center Aisle, but also for Coach and Mariah’s Princess, two of the more formidable opponents in the Grade 3, $300,000 race Saturday at Churchill Downs. Center Aisle, like Coach and Mariah’s Princess, will be looking to use her latest race as a springboard to victory in the Chilukki, a one-turn mile race that drew seven fillies and mares. A five-time winner from 11 starts, all for the OXO Equine of Larry Best, Center Aisle won an Oct. 9 allowance at Keeneland while making her first start in five months. She will now stretch out into unknown territory, having never raced beyond seven furlongs. :: DRF Bets members get FREE DRF Past Performances - Formulator or Classic. Join now! “She has been very good at slightly shorter distances,” said Lobo, “and, yes, the mile could be asking a lot of her. But the bottom side of her pedigree is good for longer. “And she has trained very well since she won at Keeneland.” The 5-year-old Into Mischief mare is out of Specification, who is a daughter of classic sire Empire Maker. Gerardo Corrales will be aboard Center Aisle from post 3. As winner of the Grade 3 Sugar Swirl at Gulfstream Park last December, she is the only graded winner in the field, although most of the others are ungraded stakes winners or graded stakes-placed. Coach (post 1, Ricardo Santana Jr.) was second as the favorite in the Twixt on Oct. 1 in the Laurel Park slop when she made her first start in nearly eight months. The Brad Cox trainee has shown herself highly capable of downing a field like what she’ll face here, and with wins in the 2020 Rags to Riches and 2022 Pippin, there’s little doubt she’ll be the favorite Saturday. Mariah’s Princess (post 2, Martin Garcia) was second in a closing-day allowance at Keeneland when she returned from a layoff of nearly 11 months. Her trainer, Phil Bauer, continues to enjoy a breakthrough year for his private client, Rigney Racing. This 4-year-old Ghostzapper filly has three wins, including the Mistletoe nearly a year ago at Oaklawn Park. Fringe players in a solid cast include Ice Orchid (post 4, Tyler Gaffalione), a last-out Keeneland allowance winner and the only 3-year-old in the field; and She Can’t Sing (post 6, Brian Hernandez Jr.), a three-time turf stakes winner whose 10 starts on the Churchill dirt include an eye-catching score with a 95 Beyer Speed Figure in September 2021. Empire House (post 5, Joe Talamo) and Liberty M D (post 7, Julien Leparoux) round out the lineup. :: Access morning workout reports straight from the tracks and get an edge with DRF Clocker Reports This is the 37th running of the Chilukki, which honors the Bob Baffert-trained filly who went 4 for 4 at Churchill in a 17-race career (1999-2001), during which she earned $1.2 million, all for Stonerside Stable. It will be run under the Churchill lights as the 10th of 11 races. First post is 1 p.m. Eastern, with the feature going at 5:35. Two allowances surround the Chilukki, with both also going under the lights. Race 9 is a $134,000 second-level race carded at 1 1/16 miles on the turf, but bitter cold and lingering dampness might well force it to the dirt, at the same distance. The Cox-trained Caldee, returning from a 13-month layoff, would draw deserved attention if the race somehow stays on the grass, but otherwise, Misty Veil and Illiogami figure as the top contenders if it must be transferred. Through Thursday, only one turf race had been run at the meet, which began Oct. 30. Three graded turf stakes are on the board for next week – the Grade 3 Cardinal on Thursday, the Grade 2 Mrs. Revere on Friday, and the Grade 3 Commonwealth Turf for the closing-day card, Sunday, Nov. 27. The Grade 1 Clark next Friday is the annual fall-meet showcase. Race 11 is a $127,000 first-level race that goes at the infrequently run Kentucky Derby distance of 1 1/4 miles. War Campaign, fifth as the favorite in a similar spot last month at Keeneland, is strictly the one to beat in consideration of his huge effort here in the Bourbon Trail in September, when he was narrowly defeated in a three-way photo. All purses listed here include substantial bonuses restricted to Kentucky-breds. All seven Chilukki runners are eligible for the $50,000 folded into the total purse. Sunshine and a daytime high of just 38 are in the Saturday forecast. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.