Finite Back to Her Best in Chilukki

  Finite (Munnings), a leading contender for the GI Longines Kentucky Oaks earlier this year after capping a five-race win streak in the GII Rachel Alexandra S., returned to her best form Saturday to annex the GIII Chilukki S. over a one-turn Churchill mile that proved right up her alley. Backed as the even-money choice coming off a close second in the GII Lexus Raven Run S. at Keeneland going seven panels Oct. 17, the blaze-faced chestnut settled well off the pace early while drafting behind rivals. Asked for more after a hot half in :45.59, she circled up out wide heading for home and wore down a stubborn Sanenus (Chi) (Scat Daddy) by midstretch en route to a 2 1/2-length tally. Whoa Nellie (Orb) rounded out the trifecta.

Saturday, Churchill Downs
CHILUKKI S.-GIII, $100,000, Churchill Downs, 11-21, 3yo/up, f/m, 1m, 1:35.53, ft.
1–FINITE, 120, f, 3, by Munnings&log=#tot">Munnings
1st Dam: Remit, by Tapit
2nd Dam: Free Spin, by Olympio
3rd Dam: Spin n Win, by Private Account
($200,000 2yo '19 EASMAY). O-Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC,
Thomas J. Reiman, William Dickson & Deborah A. Easter;
B-Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC (KY); T-Steven M. Asmussen;
J-Ricardo Santana, Jr. $59,520. Lifetime Record: 11-6-3-0,
$757,869. *1/2 to Reride (Candy Ride (ARG)), MSW-USA,
GSP-UAE, $461,010. Werk Nick Rating: A++.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Sanenus (Chi), 121, f, 4, Scat Daddy–Belgian Chocolate, by
Tale of the Cat. O/B-Haras Matriarca (CHI); T-Michael W.
McCarthy. $19,200.
3–Whoa Nellie, 121, f, 4, Orb–Allegheny Angel, by Medaglia
d'Oro. ($220,000 Ylg '17 KEESEP). O-Fox Hill Farms, Inc.;
B-Doug & Felicia Branham (KY); T-J. Larry Jones. $9,600.
Margins: 2HF, 1 1/4, HF. Odds: 1.20, 10.60, 6.00.
Also Ran: Gold Standard, Grand Cru Classe, Risky Mandate, New Roo, Crazy Sexy Munny, Unique Factor.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

“We had a great trip rating behind the pace,” said winning rider Ricardo Santana, Jr. “I think at this stage of her career she is just getting better. She's only three years old and today was her first time against older horses. We went one-turn today but she's maturing and going to be really nice at longer distances, too.”

A third-out graduate sprinting at Kentucky Downs last September, Finite returned to the dirt to annex the track-and-trip Rags to Riches S. by six lengths that October before adding the GII Golden Rod S. in the slop at the end of the Churchill meet. She carried her momentum to Fair Grounds for wins in the Silverbulletday S. and over champion 2-year-old filly British Idiom (Flashback) and yet-to-emerge superstar Swiss Skydiver (Daredevil) in the Feb. 15 Rachel Alexandra S., but could only manage fourth at short odds-on in the GII Fair Grounds Oaks Mar. 21 behind Bonny South (Munnings). She hit the sidelines after that, reemerging to finish last of 11 back at Kentucky Downs for the Sept. 15 Music City S. before earning a career-best 96 Beyer Speed Figure when just missing in the Raven Run to another talented daughter of Munnings in Venetian Harbor.

“She's a really quality filly,” said Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen. “We had a really nice win last year at Churchill in the Golden Rod and going one-turn in the Rags to Riches. I think she had five wins in a row at one point last year. It was a disappointing race in the Fair Grounds Oaks and after that is when this year was sort of turned upside down. We gave her some time off after that race and she didn't really handle the going in her last start at Kentucky Downs. In the Raven Run, she ran really well against some nice fillies that day.”

Pedigree Notes:

Finite is a fourth-generation homebred for the Winchell family, who first got into Finite's damside when they purchased her fifth dam, Debs Angel (Raise a Cup), through their long-time association with agent David Fiske out of the 1991 Keeneland November sale for $190,000 while she was carrying a filly by Capote. The Winchells resold Debs Angel at the same sale seven years later for just $55,000, but they still own a number of the family members these few decades later and runners have included Tapiture (Tapit), a MGSW and now a second-crop sire at Darby Dan. Tapiture had three stakes-winning full siblings, including Remit, dam of Finite and of a yearling colt and weanling filly, respectively, by another Winchell runner in Gun Runner. The mare has been bred back to that stallion for next term. Finite continues to have Winchell family fingerprints all over her, as her broodmare sire, Tapit, was also a Winchell runner and has, of course, transformed into one of the preeminent sires in the nation. Finite is one of 40 black-type winners out of his daughters to date. Finite is also one of the top runners by Munnings this year, who currently ranks in the top 10 leading sires by earnings in North America for 2020. Munnings, who stands at Ashford Stud in Kentucky, has 10 black-type winners this year amongst his 42 stakes winners in seven crops to race. Finite is one of 17 graded winners for the Speightstown sire.