Enchanting Lisa Tries Tougher in Chilukki

Fresh off an allowance win in her debut dirt start at Keeneland, Mort Fink’s Enchanting Lisa will give the dirt another try in Saturday’s $200,000-added Chilukki (GII) at Churchill Downs.

 

The half-sister to two-time Horse of the Year Wise Dan and multiple graded-stakes winner Successful Dan will be facing stiffer competition Saturday, but trainer Charlie LoPresti is optimistic about the move to dirt, after making her first seven starts on either synthetic or grass surfaces.

 

“When we went to Saratoga with her, she trained really well on the dirt,” LoPresti said. “Jose Lezcano wanted me to run her on the dirt after he breezed her but we ended up going to the grass race because we thought it might be a little easier. So she finished second in that turf race to a nice filly of Jonathan Sheppard’s (Chat). After that Lezcano said, ‘Next time you run this filly run her seven eighths or a mile on the dirt and they won’t be able to catch her.’ So we gave it a try at Keeneland and it ended up working because we won. Rosie Napravnik rode her at Keeneland and after the race she said, ‘I guess your jock was right because I wouldn’t ever run her on anything but dirt again.’

 

“Saturday is a little bit of an ambitious spot. I wish it was maybe a Grade III. She’s 10-1, which is probably about right on her, but if she hits the board it’s going to really increase her value.”

 

LoPresti compared her to Successful Dan more than Wise Dan because of her newly discovered dirt ability.

 

“She reminds me more of Successful Dan than she does Wise Dan,” LoPresti said. “It’s mainly been because of the way she’s been training on the dirt and the way she’s looked on the dirt. But we’re excited for Saturday and we’ll see what happens.”

 

Enchanting Lisa will break from post position nine in the 10-horse field for the Chilukki, a one-mile dirt contest for fillies and mares that goes as the ninth of 10 races on Saturday’s card with an approximate post time of 7:25 p.m. ET.