The 16th Running of the G3 Chicago Stakes
Saturday, June 25, 2022
CD Race #5 $200.000 7-Furlongs
Fillies and Mares 4+ 122 Lbs (plus penalties)
Track Record-1:20.69 (Point Break-2005)
Stakes Record-1:21.28 (Forty Carrots-2012)
The penultimate Saturday of the CD meet offers the G3 Chicago Stakes as the feature. Carded as race five, the $200.000, 7-furlong sprint drew a field of eleven older fillies and mares. Pink Attack and Ghost In The Shell will have to spot their nine rivals two pounds as they are the only two runners carrying a weight penalty in here.
This will be the 16th running of the G3 Chicago, a race that’s been run at two different tracks with varying purse amounts, but hopefully we can continue to bank on the race remaining under the Twin Spires for the forseeable future. This is the time of year when stakes racing gets a bit tougher as everyone knows how well their 4yos have transitioned from their sophomore seasons as well as how much more their older mares have left in the tank. This edition of the G3 Chicago came up pretty salty so let’s go ahead and meet the field for the CD Saturday feature:
#1 Bipolar (Mwn Racing/M.E. Smith 122): Nicely-drawn mare comes here sporting three wins from six starts in ’22. Throw out the G3 try in the slop and she is 5-5 ITM this season. Stakes winner just missed at this level three weeks ago at SA and seems to be getting better as the temperatures rise.
#2 Zero Twist (Smokey Stover/Mar. Garcia 122): Purchased after a G2 win in late January, she’s been close in back-to-back efforts at the G1 level. Been away for seven weeks and finds a tough group for this level. Owner is having a monster year and chances are that he’s got a better handle on which buttons to push on this mare now. Well-drawn to get the first win for the new connections.
#3 Not A Big Deal (Mb Stables/C.J. Hernandez 122): Filly didn’t run her best when drawing the rail in an AQU G3 last time and has only an allowance tally since September. She was a G1 winner as a juvenile and took multiple G2’s last season, but has yet to round back into that kind of form as of yet this year. May only be a matter of time before she comes back around or she could have a date in the shed in her near future. Your call.
#4 Torrents Of Spring (Wood Duck Stables/A. Beschizza 122): Savvy conditioner doesn’t make too many mistakes and she has been knocking on this door for a while. Consistent filly doesn’t have a defined “style”, she just shows up and collects checks. Got started a little late in KEE G1, but, if she times it right, she should be right there when the money is on the line. Disregard at your own peril.
#5 Zombie Storm (La Canada Racehorses/T. Gaffalione 122): Mare has done a lot of winning and she has multiple winning efforts at this level. Most of that work has been done around two turns but this elongated sprint may suit her just fine. She was offered in the auction but no one bit on the high price tag; seems fully capable of making those who looked and passed regret that decision.
#6 Pink Attack (The Sidley Stud/M. Murrill 124): Mare started her season with back-to-back wins before non-effort last time in SA G2. She gets punished on the scale by virtue of the G3 score in April; however, at least that victory came at this same trip. Won’t get the off going she had that day, but the speedball looks fully capable of running her race regardless. Don’t like the weight situation, but they’ll probably have to run her down if they want to beat her.
#7 Sexy Angelina (Night Rider Stables/J.S. Rocco Jr 122): Filly didn’t get much done as a juvenile, but she’s turned into a racehorse over the last year-plus. Been ITM in six of nine and she earned a small check in a G3 going a route of ground. She’s in fine form this season, but this is a tough group to try to best for your first graded tally. She should lay just off of the pace and may hit the front at some point, but she’ll have to dig deep to hold off these.
#8 Pink N Bold (Wood Duck Stables/U. Rispoli 122): Mare was only beaten a length, when fifth, in her first start for the barn after being purchased in May. Shortens up to a spront for the first time since her debut but she’s been successful at this level in 8-8.5 furlong races. Didn’t draw as well as her stablemate, but she has enough tactical speed to get herself in contention early. Conditioner knows her better now and she should show her best stuff on Saturday.
#9 Ghost In The Shell (Jokerjoes/J. Talamo 124): Mare will be making her 36th start on Saturday, but she’ll be coming here fresh off of a 6-furlong G3 score. That score, her first at the graded level in over two years, will cost her two pounds for this and makes her assignment that much tougher. ITM in 9 of 14 starts at a sprint distance, she runs hard every time; however, this is not a group that you want to be giving weight to. Comes in here confident and battle-tested so not out of the question.
#10 Better In Leather (Allinthegate/B.J. Hernandez Jr 122): Hard-knocking mare doesn’t dip her toes into this end of the pool often, but, with 16 ITM finishes from 20 sprints, she enjoys playing this game as much as anyone in the field. Her best work has been done at 6-panels, but don’t think the 7-furlongs makes her a toss-out. She’ll have to figure out a trip from out here, but this would be a fun recap if she can reward the conditioner’s faith.
#11 Wicked Ride (High Voltage/G. Saez 122): Outside-drawn filly has earned her keep since being tagged for just $8.000 way back in March of ’21. She’s drawn a check all ten races for this outfit and eight of those were on the podium. Come here toting a three-race winning streak vs softer, but two of those were black-type races. From out here, it would be no surprise to see her punch on the gas and see if she can get clear by the time they reach the turn, and, if she does, she may prove very difficult to get by.
Final Analysis: Zero Twist looks to be very dangerous here and we’ll make her the top selection, but we’ll play a 2-3-4 box to cover our bases. Good luck to all of the participants in the G3 Chicago Stakes!
Categories: STAKES ARTICLES
