No plans yet for Hot and Sultry after impressive Chilukki win

Specific race plans aren’t set for Hot and Sultry and she probably won’t race again until early next year, but the 4-year-old filly gave her connections plenty to look forward to, acing a comeback start Saturday in the Chilukki Stakes.

Racing for the first time since May, Hot and Sultry shot to the lead and never looked back in the Chilukki, winning by eight lengths over the good filly Nostalgic. Hot and Sultry ran the one-turn mile over a somewhat dull strip in 1:35.93, earning a 94 Beyer Speed Figure that might underrate the strength of her performance.

Hot and Sultry raced competitively in the Azeri and Apple Blossom stakes last winter but the Chilukki marked her first graded stakes success, though she did win the six-furlong American Beauty last winter at Oaklawn Park, where Hot and Sultry will be based again in coming months.

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“We really haven’t gotten that far,” Norm Casse said, regarding Hot and Sultry’s next start. Casse trains the filly for Arkansans JoAnn and Alex Lieblong. “She’s so versatile that we have plenty of options. I wouldn’t anticipate seeing her back before late January.”

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