City Girl, whose career was interrupted by a nearly two-year absence, earned her second straight win and first graded triumph in the GIII Beaugay Stakes at Aqueduct Sunday. The bay mare, sent off at 7-2, contested the early pace with longshot Mo Fox Givin, but was taken in hand and let that rival go down the backstretch. The field bunched up behind her as Mo Fox Givin completed the half-mile in :48.90. Laurelin was first to overake the pacesetter, but City Girl tipped out three wide for clear sailing between Laurelin and even-money favorite Dynamic Pricing and drove to the lead before holding her favored stablemate safe to the wire.
“I wanted to get her in the race,” explained winning rider Flavien Prat. “It seemed like Johnny's [Velazquez] filly [Mo Fox Givin] was pulling and wouldn't settle. At that point, I changed my mind and sat behind him. When I tipped her out, she gave me a good run.”
City Girl, a maiden winner over 1 5/16 miles at Cagnes-sur-Mer in January of 2024, added a 1 1/4-mile allowance win in Salon a little over two months later. She was a narrowly beaten second in a 1 5/16-mile listed race at Toulouse in April 2024 and wasn't seen again until running a late-closing third in a 1 1/16-mile optional claimer at Tampa Bay Downs Feb. 7. She returned to the winner's circle over the same course and distance last time out Mar. 29, on the same card that another Michael Dubb co-owned French import, Parfois (Ire) (Kodi Bear {Ire}), flew to 'TDN Rising Star presented by Hagyard' honors.
“She had run further distances in France,” Prat said. “I thought stamina wouldn't be a problem, so I thought it was a good day to try.”
Pedigree Notes:
City Girl is the third group/graded winner for her sire City Light (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}), who has a pair of French Group 3 winners to his name. The 12-year-old stallion, who stands at Haras d'Etreham, was a two-time group winner and twice Group 1-placed on the racetrack.
Nimpheas, with the winner in utero, RNA'd for €16,000 at the 2021 Arqana February sale. City Girl herself RNA'd twice at the Deauville venue, for €22,000 at the 2023 July sale and for €17,000 at the 2022 October sale.
CITY GIRL gets her first stakes win in the Grade 3 Beaugay Stakes under Flavien Prat for trainer Chad Brown. pic.twitter.com/DhyI6JNfgG
— NYRA (🗽) (@TheNYRA) May 3, 2026
Sunday, Belmont Big A
BEAUGAY S.-GIII, $169,750, Belmont The Big A, 5-3, 4yo/up, f/m, 1 1/16mT, 1:42.61, fm.
1–CITY GIRL (FR), 120, m, 5, by City Light (Fr)
1st Dam: Nimpheas, by Smart Strike
2nd Dam: Underwater, by Theatrical (Ire)
3rd Dam: Sea Hill, by Seattle Slew
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. (€17,000 RNA Ylg '22 ARQDOY; €22,000 RNA 2yo '23 ARQJUL). O-Madaket Stables, LLC, Dubb, Michael and Kisber, Michael E.; B-Herald Bloodstock Ltd, Veronique Dubois & Nicolas Baudron (FR); T-Chad C. Brown; J-Flavien Prat. $96,250. Lifetime Record: SP-Fr, 9-4-2-1, $166,901. Werk Nick Rating: B. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree or free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Dynamic Pricing (Ire), 124, m, 5, Night of Thunder (Ire)–Shemda (Ire), by Dutch Art (GB). (170,000gns Ylg '22 TATOCT). O-Klaravich Stables, Inc.; B-Epona Bloodstock Ltd (IRE); T-Chad C. Brown. $35,000.
3–Laurelin (Ire), 124, f, 4, Zarak (Fr)–Bari (Ire), by Cape Cross (Ire). (€160,000 Ylg '23 GOFOR). O-Newstead Stables LLC; B-M. H. Dixon & Mount Coote Estates (IRE); T-H. Graham Motion. $21,000.
Margins: 3/4, 2, 3 1/4. Odds: 3.51, 1.18, 1.34.
Also Ran: Mo Fox Givin, Racing Colors. Scratched: Shore War.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
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