Fionn, Laurelin top Jockey Club Oaks; Ragtime heads Chilukki

A trio of three-year-old fillies who endured upset losses last month at Keeneland will look to rebound in two different graded stakes on Saturday.

At Aqueduct, Fionn and Laurelin are the headliners in the $350,000 Jockey Club Oaks (G3), while Ragtime faces older rivals for the first time in the $300,000 Chilukki (G3) at Churchill Downs.

For a late-season race, the 1 3/8-mile Jockey Club Oaks over the turf packs a strong punch. Fionn and Laurelin are among the best of their division, not named Nitrogen, though both came up short in the Oct. 11 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup (G1).

Favored at around 3-2 after consecutive wins in the Regret (G3), Belmont Oaks (G1), and Dueling Grounds Oaks (G3), Fionn could fare no better than a belated fourth in the Queen Elizabeth. Laurelin, a four-time stakes winner who entered the Keeneland fixture undefeated from five starts, finished second, 1 1/4 lengths behind the winning Lush Lips.

"The winner ran a big race, and I thought we ran our race," trainer Graham Motion said of Laurelin. "It's always tough when you're undefeated, but I thought she ran super."

Godolphin homebred Ragtime breaks outside six rivals in the Chilukki over a one-turn mile on Churchill's main track. A decisive winner of her first two starts over the summer at Saratoga, the daughter of Union Rags has the look of a potential division contender next season.

A neck second in her stakes debut in the Aug. 2 Test (G1), Ragtime rebounded to take the seven-furlong Dogwood (G3) at Churchill by 2 1/4 lengths. Last time, though, she had too much position and ground to make up in the Raven Run (G2), falling short by a half-length against fellow three-year-olds.

The Chilukki marks the return of another exciting sophomore, Shred the Gnar. Winner in two of her three starts, Shred the Gnar was sidelined following a seven-length, entry-level allowance win over 1 1/16 miles during Kentucky Derby week.

The older contingent is led by Grade 3 veteran One Magic Philly, victorious in her debut for new trainer Brendan Walsh in a Keeneland allowance. Also lining up are Groupie Doll S. winner Impel and Delaware H. (G3) runner-up Runaway Diva.

The Chilukki goes as Race 3 on Churchill's Saturday card, which will be dominated by the annual Claiming Crown starter allowances.