Expert Pick of the Week: Chicago Stakes

Jun 17, 2026

Eclatant wins the Forward Gal at Gulfstream Park. (Photo by Coglianese Photo)

An accomplished field of eight fillies and mares will travel seven furlongs over the dirt surface at Churchill Downs in Saturday’s $300,000 Chicago (G2). Stonestreet Thoroughbreds homebred Eclatant was a Grade 3 winner as a three-year-old and has taken the next step this season with two excellent runs for high-percentage trainer Brad Cox. By sensational sire Into Mischief, the bay filly made her 2026 debut in an allowance race at Gulfstream Park on Feb. 15 and finished 2 3/4 lengths clear of a talented miss to register a victory in her seasonal unveiling.

Eclatant next appeared in the Madison (G1) at Keeneland on April 4, and the classy lass wore down a clear runner in the lane with a resilient late push to record her first score at the highest level of racing. She broke her maiden on this surface in 2025 over a horse who went later on to win a Grade 1 race, and she has simply never been better than she is right now. The horse is good from the gate, can stay close from the start, and she seems like an excellent fit in her return to Louisville for her third start of the year. Irad Ortiz, Jr. will be in the saddle once again.

#6 Eclatant breaks her maiden at first asking in R4 at Churchill Downs for trainer @bradcoxracing with @flothejock aboard! 🏆

🎥 #TwinSpiresReplay pic.twitter.com/0UtdjvHhU3

— TwinSpires Racing 🏇 (@TwinSpires) June 21, 2024

La Brea (G1) queen Usha has won four of her last six races in advance of Saturday, including a game victory in the Winning Colors (G3) on the course last time out. Trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, the chestnut filly by good younger stallion Tiz the Law has put in a pair of positive runs at this meeting leading up to this affair, and she earned her biggest win to date at the seven-furlong distance, as well. Bred in New York and purchased for $600,000 as a two-year-old in 2024, the filly will be forcing the early pace with top pilot Flavien Prat picking up the mount.

Evanescence has won or placed in all nine of her career runs to date, including three on the Churchill track. The Eddie Kenneally trainee dominated allowance runners at Keeneland in her third run of 2026, and the late runner will benefit from the rail post, which will allow her to save ground prior to being asked for her best run in the stretch. Luis Saez is the jockey named to ride the four-year-old daughter of Munnings.

Expert Pick

An exacta with #2 Eclatant on top of #1 Evanescence and #5 Usha in the 2026 Chicago Stakes is the Best Bet of the Week.