Abby Hatcher ($40) wears down Club Car in Chicago Stakes

Abby Hatcher won a first-level allowance race in April at Tampa Bay Downs but lost two tries moving up to second-level allowance competition, yet the filly, a 19-1 shot, still was good enough to capture the Grade 3, $100,000 Chicago Stakes on Saturday at Arlington.

Abby Hatcher ($40) stayed on and on and finally wore down Club Car to win the Chicago by about a neck. It was the first graded stakes win for trainer Anna Meah and jockey Alex Achard.

“We nominated and figured she would come in at 12-1, but knowing how she was training, we thought we’d take our chance,” Meah said.

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Abby Hatcher raced midpack much of this seven-furlong Polytrack trip before bidding on the outside under Achard, who has been riding mainly at Indiana Grand and in Kentucky this spring and summer. Club Car, wide on the turn, had made the lead in upper stretch, but Abby Hatcher, who’d made her first five starts on synthetic tracks – three in Ireland, two at Turfway Park – managed to wear her down.

Abby Hatcher completed the 7 furlongs in 1:22.27.

“It was hard. We had to fight, and she gave everything,” Achard said.

Club Car held second while heavily favored Dreamalilreamofu, who couldn’t quicken with the top two, stayed on for third.

Meah’s husband, David Meah, found Abby Hatcher in Ireland and owns her. A 4-year-old, she’s a daughter of Acclamation and the Dubawi mare Sharqawiyah.

Guest Suite wins Hanshin

Jockey Manny Esquivel returned to Arlington and piloted Guest Suite, who never had been to the track before, to victory in the $100,000 Hanshin Stakes.

Guest Suite surged outside in the final half-furlong and got up by a head over Background, who had taken the lead in midstretch and finished resolutely.

Esquivel won 83 races as an apprentice jockey at Arlington in 2013, but hadn’t ridden at the suburban Chicago track since 2015. He piloted Guest Suite to victory for his uncle, trainer Cipriano Contreras, who got Esquivel started as a jockey while serving as the longtime assistant to veteran Chicago horseman Mike Reavis.

Guest Suite had limited synthetic-surface experience, with a couple third-place finishes in Turfway Park routes, and mainly has been a two-turn horse, but he adapted to the Arlington Polytrack and a one-turn mile to win the Hanshin, paying $14.80 as a 6-1 shot.

Even-money favorite Richiesinthehouse, a natural sprinter, always was going to be suspect trying to get one mile at this class level, and he was further compromised breaking through the gate pre-start. Richiesinthehouse made the early lead but soon took sustained pressure from Background, who appeared to be on the way to victory at the furlong grounds but could not quite finish the job. Illinois-bred What’s Up Dude had his chance in the late stages,x but settled for third.

Guest Suite, a 7-year-old gelding by Quality Road out of Guest House, by Ghostzapper, ran one mile in 1:35.41 while winning for the eighth time in 33 starts. He’s owned by Contreras Stable and Victory Stable.