Chicago Stakes (Grade 3)- $250.000 Purse
CD- For Fillies and Mares Four Years Old and Upward
Seven Furlongs on the Dirt
June 22, 2024

The Chicago Stakes returns to CD for the third time in 2024 after previously known as the Chicago Handicap at the former AP. Lady Sammyantha can proudly claim that she has won this race at both racetracks, winning at AP in 2021 and then here at CD in 2023. This year, she looks to win it for the third time! Each of her two victories have been by less than a length, so she had good competition before, and she will have strong competition again as a part of this field of six. By the way, if you are wondering about her and 2022, she did not run that year. The Sidley Stud has led her to each of these wins and has had the Ginger Haggis mare for her entire career. We’ll talk more about her in a bit, as there are five others to meet as well. Here’s the field:

1- Spring Street (High Voltage, ridden by D E Centeno)- Ran in the BC Fillies and Mares Sprint last November, but finished towards the back of the field. We’ve only seen her three times since then, and she has certainly been hot and cold. Looking back at her further, you can see that this is a habit of hers at the stake level. Last month, we saw the good side, as she won the Vagrancy Handicap (Grade 3) at AQU, but before that she was next to last in a 12-horse field at the Grade 1 Vinery Madison. Sure, that’s a much tougher race, but she’s also a BC caliber horse. I don’t know if I trust her to have two strong races in a row due to recent history.

2- Up She Flew (Riggins Racing, ridden by J R Velazquez)- We saw her in the BC Fillies and Mares Sprint last fall as well, and she was able to run well, finishing third and within a length of the winner, who we’ll be talking about later. She’s made several starts since then and got a nice victory in the always competitive Grade 1 La Brea at SA in December. In 2024, she’s run well but just has not had that one big race this year to be proud of. Appeared in the Vinery Madison as well, and did not cash a check, part of a tight group of horses near the back. I could forgive that easily, but her run in the Grade 3 Colors here three weeks concerns me.

3- Lorient (TwinTowersRacing, ridden by A Cedillo)- On Derby Day, Lorient ran in the undercard, the Grade 1 Derby City Distaff, but you would be forgiven if you never noticed her. She started at the back and stayed there throughout in what is a pretty ugly race line. She had been on good form before that, scoring back-to-back wins in the $100.000 Correction, and the Grade 3 Distaff Handicap, each of which are held at AQU. So, what in the world happened at the Derby City Distaff? Stronger competition is the easy answer, since she was still beaten by six lengths, so there seems to be more to it. Typically, she does not start at the back, so maybe the reason was tactical. Without question, she needs to rebound.

4- Lady Sammyantha (The Sidley Stud, ridden by R L Moore)- Here she is, the two-time winner of the race, whether it was called the Chicago Stakes or the Chicago Handicap. Her 2021 win saw a stalking trip early where she prevailed in a photo at the wire. Last year, she essentially did the same type of tactic, but won by three quarters of a length. Since then, Lady Sammyantha has continued to run exceptionally well, winning a couple of Grade 2’s that made her hot entering the BC Fillies and Mares Sprint. She would not let down The Sidley Stud there, coming from the middle of the pack to earn the win. If you want even more recent, she ran in the Grade 1 Vinery Madison, also known as the race Spring Street and Up She Flew struggled in and won that too. Unfortunately, it’s not that quick and easy with making her a favorite, because she did not fare well in the Derby City Distaff last time out. I still like her, though.

5- Shadow State (Smokey Stover, ridden by R M Hernandez)- We saw her here last year in the KYO, qualifying for the race after winning both the Honeybeee and FG Oaks. At the time, she was making winning look easily, doing so in three of her first four races. Ran in the middle of the pack in the KYO, then was fifth in the Acorn, but would not be able to break through with another big win for a while. Smokey Stover ultimately cut back on her distance, and in February of this year, she finally returned to the winner’s circle, doing so in the Grade 2 Santa Monica Stakes at SA. Was far more competitive than a couple of her rivals here were in the Derby City Distaff last month, running fourth. Should be in the mix here.

6- Miss Hennessy (Wood Duck Stables, ridden by P Lopez)- Like many horses, Miss Hennessy did not win on debut, but after that, she made a habit of it, rolling off a seven-race win streak. That stretch began here with her maiden score, then continued with some big optional claiming wins at both WO and SA. She was successful on both the grass and the main track over that stretch as well. Despite the win streak, the trainer didn’t feel as though she was ready to take on stake competition until her last race, which was the Grade 3 Vagrancy Handicap at AQU. Showed she could handle it even though the streak came to an end with her second place showing (to Spring Street). Glad to see her here and hope to continue to regularly talk about her in stakes for the rest of the year.

Prediction: 4-2-6-5

— NS

Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES