The Beaugay (Grade 3)- $200.000 Purse
BEL- For Fillies and Mares Four Years Old and Upward
One Mile and One Sixteenth on the Turf
May 11, 2019
On this weekend between TC races, we still have some interesting races to look at it. At BEL, part of the festivities is the 10th running of the Grade 3 Beaugay, which sends older females a little over a mile on the grass. Last year, the King of the grass, Maxmillion Farm was the winning trainer with Miss Darna. She has not won since then, and just a week ago was sold in private sales for $80.000. Maxmillion does not have an entry in this race, but nine other trainers do, so let’s meet their runners now!
#1- Not Charleigh Now (Gdp Inc, ridden by F Pennington)- Makes the 24th start of her career, and is looking for win #6. She comes off a victory down at GP in her last start in the $100.000 Sand Springs. This will be her graded debut, and it comes at a time when she has consistently been scoring some sort of check for the trainer. With Pennington aboard, she cannot be overlooked.
#2- Woman On A Mission (Greeko Holdem, ridden by K Carmouche)- The Charley Farley mare is another veteran looking to score that big win, as this will be the 22nd career start for her. She has made a few Grade 3 starts in her career, and has been inconsistent in her performances in them. Recently, she won an ungraded stake, her first such win, in the $75.000 Wishing Well Stakes.
#3- Heckle Me Pink (Nakamura Stables, ridden by J Lezcano)- A couple of ten furlong races on her past performances make her not look as consistent as she really has been in. Throw those out, and you’ll see a filly that has taken a liking to running at or near a mile. I would expect to see a similar race here like she ran at TAM in February for the Endeavor BC, running second in what was a very good field.
#4- Snacks (D J C Racing Stables, ridden by R Bejarano)- She may be the one to beat if she can duplicate her performance in the Grade 1 Wiley, her last start, where she finished second and got her picture taken with the winner at the wire. At this distance, she has been at her best, though you’d be forgiven if you would like to have seen more wins on her record. Has run in many graded stakes, but only has one such win in one.
#5- Millinneal (Mb Stables, ridden by L H Colon)- Someday, we’ll find out what “Millinneal” actually means, but there have been no typos in regards to her successes. The filly has won six of 19, though lately has not been on the best form and that is why I can’t make her my pick here. She’s been bouncing around with distances and surfaces lately, so it has the look of a trainer looking to find where her niche truly is. Turf legend L H Colon helps her cause.
#6- On The Square (Crocker Ggs, ridden by Mario Gutierrez)- Since being moved the turf, On The Square has been very successful, and there is no reason that cannot continue here. She is 2-for-4 in those starts, with two other top three finishes where she was within a length. Most recently, she was third in the Grade 3 Royal Heroine, one spot behind Woman On A Mission, but ahead of Calling The Shots and Saddle Happy. Recently has also seen a tactical switch to running on the lead preference.
#7- Formalhaut (John Henry, ridden by J R Velazquez)- The veteran five year old mare will be making her 26th career start here, and will be hoping for her first graded win. She does have an ungraded win in her lifetime, but it was a while ago. There was a period in 2017 where she was a steady stake participant, and while she has continued to race consistently, she has backed off of that somewhat.
#8- Saddle Happy (Our Athletes, ridden by J J Castellano)- One of four in the field coming out of the Royal Heroine, including everyone who finished between 2nd and 5th. Saddle Happy was fifth that day and never really made her presence felt, with an inspired looking past performance line. A start before that, she won the Grade 3 Fox, a similar race, so we’ll see which version of Saddle Happy shows up here.
#9- Calling The Shots (Diablo Diablo, ridden by E Cancel)- Another one from the Royal Heroine field, Calling The Shots was fourth that day, and like Saddle Happy, has a race line that does not really show a lot, but for her, it got a check. That’s something she has made a habit of doing in her career, finishing in the top 4 fifteen out of sixteen times. Three of her four career wins have been in her last six starts.
Prediction: 6-4-5-8
— NS
Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES
