The Chicago Stakes is a Grade III

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

horse race Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic p ...

for fillies and mares, four years old and older over a distance of seven furlongs on the dirt track scheduled annually in June at run annually at

Churchill Downs Churchill Downs is a horse racing complex located on Central Avenue in south Louisville, Kentucky, United States, famed for hosting the annual Kentucky Derby. It officially opened in 1875 and was named for Samuel Churchill, whose family was ...

in Louisville, Kentucky. The event currently offers a purse of $200,000 plus a trophy.

History

The inaugural running of the event was on 31 August 1986, as the Chicago-Budweiser Breeders' Cup Handicap, the seventh event on the card for Budweiser-Arlington Million Day and was won by Lazer Show who was ridden by US Hall of Fame jockey Pat Day in a time of 1:21. Between 1986 and 1995 Budweiser sponsored the event and from 1986 and 2006 the Breeders' Cup sponsored the event which reflected in the name of the event. Lazer Show would win the event again the following year. In 1992 the event was upgraded by the American Graded Stakes Committee of the

Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association {{short description, Organization for Thoroughbred racehorse owners and breeders The American Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA) based in Lexington, Kentucky is a trade organization for Thoroughbred racehorse owners and breeders. ...

to Grade III status. In 2007, the race was moved to a synthetic surface when Arlington Park switched its main track from dirt to an all-weather course. The Chicago Handicap was switched back to dirt in 2017, when it was moved to

in Louisville, Kentucky. Arlington Park was cutting back on its stakes races in order to boost overnight race purses, and Churchill Downs, which is owned by the same company, picked up both the Chicago Handicap and the Matron Stakes. In 2018 the event returned back to Arlington Park with Princess La Quinta winning the race. The event was not held in 1988, 1998, 1999 and 2015. In 2020 due to the

COVID-19 pandemic in the United States The COVID-19 pandemic in the United States is a part of the COVID-19 pandemic, worldwide pandemic of COVID-19, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by SARS-CoV-2, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). In the Uni ...

, Arlington Park did not schedule the event in its shortened meeting. In 2021 the event was scheduled as a stakes allowance event, hence the event was changed to the Chicago Stakes. In 2022, the event was moved to

after the closure of Arlington Park in

Arlington Heights, Illinois Arlington Heights is a municipality in Cook County with a small portion in Lake County in the U.S. state of Illinois. A suburb of Chicago, it lies about northwest of the city's downtown. Per the 2020 Census, the population was 77,676. Per the ...

.Spring Stakes Schedule
hurchilldowns.com Also the conditions of the event were changed so that only mares four years old or older could enter. In 2023 the event was moved to Ellis Park after Churchill Downs closed their spring meeting earlier due to a spate of injuries.

Records

Speed Record: * 1:20.54 - Society (2023) Margins: * lengths - Society (2023) Most wins: * 2 - Lazer Show (1986, 1987) * 2 - Informed Decision (2009, 2010) Most wins by an owner: * 2 - James J. Devaney (1986, 1987) * 2 -

Edward P. Evans Edward P. Evans, also known as Ned Evans, (January 31, 1942 – December 31, 2010) was an American heir, businessman, investor, horse breeder and philanthropist. He was the chairman and CEO of Macmillan Publishers from 1979 to 1989. He was t ...

(1992, 1994) * 2 -

Knob Hill Stable Knob Hill Stable was a Canadian Thoroughbred horse racing and breeding operation established by Toronto, Ontario businessman Steve Stavro. Stavro's interest in horse racing began in 1967 when he acquired a pair of yearlings – Boy Bandit and Da ...

(2006, 2011) * 2 - Augustin Stable (2009, 2010) Most wins by a

jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used to describe the individual ...

: * 3 - Pat Day (1986, 1987, 1990) * 3 - Craig Perret (1991, 2001, 2003) * 3 - Rene R. Douglas (2002, 2004, 2008) Most wins by a trainer: * 2 - Donald R. Winfree (1986, 1987) * 2 -

Frank L. Brothers Frank L. Brothers (born October 24, 1946, in New Orleans, Louisiana) is a former American Thoroughbred racehorse trainer from 1980 to 2009 with a career win percentage of just over 23%, winning 2,291 races, including 262 stakes winners of which ...

(1989, 2001) * 2 -

D. Wayne Lukas Darrell Wayne Lukas (born September 2, 1935 in Antigo, Wisconsin) is an American horse trainer and a U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee. He has won twenty Breeders' Cup races, received five Eclipse Awards for his accomplishments, and his horses ha ...

(1992, 1995) * 2 - Phillip England (1996, 2000) * 2 - William I. Mott (2006, 2011) * 2 -

Jonathan E. Sheppard Jonathan E. Sheppard (born December 2, 1940 in Ashwell, Hertfordshire, England) is an English Hall of Fame trainer in American Thoroughbred horse racing. Sheppard came to the United States in 1961 and in 1966 won his first race with Haffaday in a ...

(2009, 2010) * 2 -

W. Bret Calhoun W. Bret Calhoun (born May 12, 1964, in Dallas, Texas) is an American Thoroughbred racehorse trainer. The son of a school teacher who also owned and trained horses, he attended Texas Tech University but left before graduating. Calhoun began his ...

(2013, 2017)

Winners

''Legend:''

References

{{reflist, 2 Graded stakes races in the United States Horse races in Illinois Sprint category horse races for fillies and mares Arlington Park Recurring sporting events established in 1986 1986 establishments in Illinois Grade 3 stakes races in the United States

History

Records

Winners

See also

References