Chide, No Fault of Mine meet in Thursday route feature

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – A pair of stakes-caliber 3-year-old fillies should make for an interesting matchup Thursday in one of three allowances on a solid 10-race card at Churchill Downs.

Chide, exiting four straight graded stakes, will square off against No Fault of Mine in a $60,000, second-level allowance carded as the eighth race. The 1 1/16-mile race, which carries a $62,500 claiming option, also attracted seven other fillies and mares.

Bred and owned by Lothenbach Stables, No Fault of Mine was briefly considered for the Valley View at the Keeneland fall meet before Chicago-based trainer Chris Block settled on this race.

“It was the next logical move to try to go through the next condition,” said Block. “Once I saw the Valley View was going to overfill and we weren’t going to get in, we were content to focus on this.”

No Fault of Mine has won 2 of 3 career starts, with her only loss being a runner-up finish in the Grade 2 Golden Rod Stakes here last fall.

Chide, bred and owned by Adele Dilschneider and Claiborne Farm, also is graded stakes-placed, having finished second in the Grade 3 Dogwood Stakes here in September for trainer Al Stall Jr. Stretching out from a pair of one-turn races, Chide figures as a slight favorite when breaking from post 2 under Miguel Mena.

Both Chide and No Fault of Mine were sired by Blame, who won the 2010 Breeders’ Cup Classic at Churchill for Dilschneider, Claiborne, and Stall.

First post Thursday is 12:40 p.m. Eastern. The two other allowances go as races 2 and 9.

KEY CONTENDERS

Chide (Last 3 Beyers: 85-88-80)

◗ After trying the Grade 1 Mother Goose and Grade 1 Coaching Club American Oaks, she was equipped with blinkers when turning back in the Dogwood and Raven Run, but now the blinkers are coming off as she goes back to two turns again.

No Fault of Mine (Last 3 Beyers: 85-85-86)

◗ Block has spotted this lightly raced filly judiciously, with her only appearance this year being a simple allowance score over Polytrack at Arlington Park in late September. She will have perennial leading rider Corey Lanerie aboard when breaking from post 7.

Emmajestic (Last 3 Beyers: 82-83-68)

◗ This gray 3-year-old filly was prompt as the favorite when knocking out her first allowance condition on opening weekend at Keeneland for Michelle Lovell, who popped with a 78-1 winner (Rocketringo) on the meet opener here Sunday.