Chicago Stakes – (Grade ll)

Purse $300.00 – For Fillies And Mares Four Years Old And Upward

 7 Furlongs – Dirt

Churchill Downs – June 20, 2026

Big Guns Stables’ Gigafemme added her name to the history books with a victory in the 20th running of the Chicago Stakes. She continued her affinity for seven furlongs, recording the third graded stakes win of her career at the distance. The daughter of Hashrate also increased her purse earnings to $1,359.12, with this being her sixth time entering the winner’s circle. Big Guns Stables celebrated his first Chicago Stakes score, and jockey Mike Smith successfully defended his title with a second straight victory. Gigafemme completed the seven furlongs in 1:21.59, a time that is the second fastest since this event was changed to Churchill Downs in 2022. This filly now has a ton of options moving forward. I could see connections tightening the screws in the Johnstone Mile next month against State-Breds to then take on the best sprinting females in the Grade One Ballerina. Whatever path she takes this summer, everyone should be taking this homebred seriously. Congratulations!

Winner: Gigafemme – (Big Guns Stables, M E. Smith) Being a habitual deep closer, there weren’t any surprises when this filly showed little speed out of the gate. She settled on the rail early down the backstretch in fifth about three lengths off the pacesetters. Gigafemme got into a comfortable rhythm–biding her time as the field entered the far turn. Jockey Mike Smith made the winning move at the quarter pole when he took the rail instead of moving out five-wide to set up her closing kick. In the stretch, this New York-bred had a clear lane to run down and she kicked away brilliantly in a one-length score. Her love for seven furlongs continues to pay dividends. Well done to the connections!

Second Place: Dolphin Bay – (TwinTowersRacing, A. Beschizza) This was the most lightly raced filly in the field with five career starts and she almost became a graded stakes winner. Dolphin Bay showed speed leaving from the gate and held her position on the rail. The daughter of Acapulco Bay settled in second down the backside about a length inside of the pacesetter. The early fractions were: 22.86 and 46.26. Things started to change as the field passed the ⅜ pole as Dolphin Bay took the lead by a head. At the quarter pole, that advantage increased to a length and jockey Adam Beschizza was scrubbing hard. She continued to fight on gallantly but was overtaken inside the final 1/16 to finish second.

Third Place: So Beautiful – (Temulac Farm, F. Pennington) There was a dead heat between So Beautiful and Lady Sammyantha for third place. This filly once again showed nothing out of the gate and found herself in last early. Jockey Frankie Pennington found a rhythm about five lengths off the pace, letting the pacesetters burn themselves out on the front end. So Beautiful started to close the gap as the field passed the ⅜ pole, but it was clear there was a tough task ahead of her. The gap was cut down to three lengths at the top of the stretch. Some room opened up between horses and this four-year-old threaded the needle bravely to get up and secure third place. Put this one in your watchlist.

Third Place: Lady Sammyantha – (The Sidley Stud, J R. Velazquez) There was a dead heat between So Beautiful and Lady Sammyantha for third place. So much was at stake for this incredible eight-year-old mare, but she still put together a great effort. Breaking from the gate as the favorite, the daughter of Ginger Haggis sat just off the speed in fourth. Instead of saving ground on the rail, jockey John Velazquez decided to run closer to the pacesetters four-wide! I think this was the reason she lost, however she still kicked home well in the stretch. With seventeen graded stakes wins and multiple HRP awards, it’s always a treat to watch Lady Sammyantha continue to run at the top level of the game. One of the all-time greats!

Categories: Grade II, STAKES ARTICLES