Chilukki
Encyclopedia
Chilukki was an American
Champion
Thoroughbred
racehorse
, who during her racing career set two track records at Churchill Downs
. She was bred in Kentucky by Dr. R. Smiser West and U.S. Racing Hall of Fame
trainer
MacKenzie Miller
.
Chilukki was out of the mare Song of Syria, a daughter of U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee Damascus
. Sired by Cherokee Run
, winner of the 1994 Breeders' Cup Sprint
. The name Chilukki is taken from the Cherokee language
term used by the Cherokee nation
to describe themselves as dog people.
Purchased by Bob McNair's Stonerside Stable
at the 1999 Fasig-Tipton
Two-Year-Olds in Training Sale in Florida
, Chilukki was conditioned for racing by Bob Baffert
. The filly had a brilliant two-year-old racing season, in which she set a Churchill Downs
track record for 4.5 furlong
s on April 28, 1999. Her multiple wins that year included two Grade I
stakes and she went into the 1999 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies
undefeated. However, she finished second to the 33-1 long-shot Cash Run. Despite this loss, Chilukki was voted the Eclipse Award
as the American Champion Two-Year-Old Filly.
In 2000, the three-year-old Chilukki continued to win and set another new track record at Churchill downs in the one mile Churchill Downs Distaff Handicap, a race that was later renamed in her honor. Raced at age four, Chilukki won the January 2001 El Encino Stakes
, then in March was retired to serve as a broodmare at her owner's farm in Paris, Kentucky
.
Chilukki died on May 7, 2007 at the Hagyard Equine Medical Institute near Lexington, Kentucky
following complications after giving birth to a foal by the 2004 World Champion
runner Ghostzapper
. She was buried in her entirety in Stonerside Farm's equine cemetery.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Champion
Eclipse Award
The Eclipse Award is an American thoroughbred horse racing award named after the 18th century British racehorse and sire, Eclipse. The Eclipse Awards, honoring the champions of the sport, are sponsored by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association , Daily Racing Form and the National Turf Writers...
Thoroughbred
Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...
racehorse
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
, who during her racing career set two track records at Churchill Downs
Churchill Downs
Churchill Downs, located in Central Avenue in south Louisville, Kentucky, United States, is a Thoroughbred racetrack most famous for hosting the Kentucky Derby annually. It officially opened in 1875, and held the first Kentucky Derby and the first Kentucky Oaks in the same year. Churchill Downs...
. She was bred in Kentucky by Dr. R. Smiser West and U.S. Racing Hall of Fame
National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame was founded in 1950 in Saratoga Springs, New York, to honor the achievements of American thoroughbred race horses, jockeys, and trainers...
trainer
Horse trainer
In horse racing, a trainer prepares a horse for races, with responsibility for exercising it, getting it race-ready and determining which races it should enter...
MacKenzie Miller
MacKenzie Miller
Mackenzie Todd Miller was an American Thoroughbred racehorse trainer and owner/breeder. During his forty-six year career, he conditioned seventy-two stakes winners, including four Eclipse Award champions....
.
Chilukki was out of the mare Song of Syria, a daughter of U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee Damascus
Damascus (horse)
Damascus was a thoroughbred race horse sired by Sword Dancer out of Kerala foaled at the Jonabell Farm in Lexington, Kentucky...
. Sired by Cherokee Run
Cherokee Run
Cherokee Run is an American thoroughbred stallion racehorse. He was sired by 1982 Canadian Hall of Fame inductee Runaway Groom, who in turn was a son of leading sire Blushing Groom...
, winner of the 1994 Breeders' Cup Sprint
Breeders' Cup Sprint
The Breeders' Cup Sprint is an American Weight for Age Grade I Thoroughbred horse race for three year olds & up. Run on dirt over a distance of 6 Furlongs , the race has been held annually since 1984 at a different racetrack in the United States or Canada as part of the Breeders' Cup World...
. The name Chilukki is taken from the Cherokee language
Cherokee language
Cherokee is an Iroquoian language spoken by the Cherokee people which uses a unique syllabary writing system. It is the only Southern Iroquoian language that remains spoken. Cherokee is a polysynthetic language.-North American etymology:...
term used by the Cherokee nation
Cherokee
The Cherokee are a Native American people historically settled in the Southeastern United States . Linguistically, they are part of the Iroquoian language family...
to describe themselves as dog people.
Purchased by Bob McNair's Stonerside Stable
Stonerside Stable
Stonerside Stable is an American Thoroughbred horse breeding farm and horse racing operation in Paris, Kentucky. Until September 2008 it was owned by Robert and Janice McNair, who also own the National Football League team, the Houston Texans...
at the 1999 Fasig-Tipton
Fasig-Tipton
The Fasig-Tipton Company, Inc. is an auction house for Thoroughbred horses founded in 1898 by William B. Fasig and Edward A. Tipton. It is the oldest auction company of its kind in North America....
Two-Year-Olds in Training Sale in Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, Chilukki was conditioned for racing by Bob Baffert
Bob Baffert
Robert A. "Bob" Baffert is an American horse owner and trainer, whose horses have won three Kentucky Derbies, five Preakness Stakes, one Belmont Stakes and two Kentucky Oaks. He graduated from the University of Arizona's with a Bachelor of Science degree. -Early career:Bob Baffert began his...
. The filly had a brilliant two-year-old racing season, in which she set a Churchill Downs
Churchill Downs
Churchill Downs, located in Central Avenue in south Louisville, Kentucky, United States, is a Thoroughbred racetrack most famous for hosting the Kentucky Derby annually. It officially opened in 1875, and held the first Kentucky Derby and the first Kentucky Oaks in the same year. Churchill Downs...
track record for 4.5 furlong
Furlong
A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and U.S. customary units equal to one-eighth of a mile, equivalent to 220 yards, 660 feet, 40 rods, or 10 chains. The exact value of the furlong varies slightly among English-speaking countries....
s on April 28, 1999. Her multiple wins that year included two Grade I
Graded stakes race
A graded stakes race is a term applied since 1973 by the American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association to thoroughbred horse races in the United States and Canada to describe races that derive their name from the stake, or entry fee, owners must pay...
stakes and she went into the 1999 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies
Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies
The Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies is a 1 1/16-mile thoroughbred horse race on dirt for two-year-old fillies run annually since 1984 at a different racetrack in the United States or Canada as part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships.-Automatic Berths:Beginning in 2007, the Breeders' Cup...
undefeated. However, she finished second to the 33-1 long-shot Cash Run. Despite this loss, Chilukki was voted the Eclipse Award
Eclipse Award
The Eclipse Award is an American thoroughbred horse racing award named after the 18th century British racehorse and sire, Eclipse. The Eclipse Awards, honoring the champions of the sport, are sponsored by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association , Daily Racing Form and the National Turf Writers...
as the American Champion Two-Year-Old Filly.
In 2000, the three-year-old Chilukki continued to win and set another new track record at Churchill downs in the one mile Churchill Downs Distaff Handicap, a race that was later renamed in her honor. Raced at age four, Chilukki won the January 2001 El Encino Stakes
El Encino Stakes
The El Encino Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. Open to four-year-old fillies, it is raced over a distance of 1/16 miles on the synthetic Cushion Track surface...
, then in March was retired to serve as a broodmare at her owner's farm in Paris, Kentucky
Paris, Kentucky
As of the census of 2000, there were 9,183 people, 3,857 households, and 2,487 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 4,222 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 84.23% White, 12.71% African American, 0.16% Native American, 0.16%...
.
Chilukki died on May 7, 2007 at the Hagyard Equine Medical Institute near Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...
following complications after giving birth to a foal by the 2004 World Champion
World Thoroughbred Racehorse Rankings
The World Thoroughbred Racehorse Rankings are compiled by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities , an organization established in 2003 with headquarters in Paris, France made up of members from around the world....
runner Ghostzapper
Ghostzapper
Foaled in Kentucky on April 6 in the year 2000, the thoroughbred racehorse Ghostzapper won the Breeders' Cup Classic in 2004, outdistancing Roses in May by three lengths in a stakes record of 1:59.02...
. She was buried in her entirety in Stonerside Farm's equine cemetery.