Grayosh leads Chad Brown-trained trio in G3 Beaugay

Trainer Chad Brown sends out the Grade 2-winning trio of Grayosh, Spaliday and Dynamic Pricing for Sunday’s Grade 3, $175,000 Beaugay, a 1 1/16-mile inner turf test for older fillies and mares, at Belmont at the Big A. 

The five-time Eclipse Award-winning Brown is in search of a record-extending seventh win in this event, after past scores with Waterway Run [2014], A Raving Beauty [2018], Homerique [2019], Rushing Fall [2020], Rougir [2022] and Marketsegmentation [2023]. 

Flanagan Racing’s Grayosh, a 4-year-old Yoshida gray, last ran fifth to next-out Grade 1-winner She Feels Pretty in the nine-furlong Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup in October at Keeneland. She entered from a closing neck score over that rival in the 1 1/16-mile Grade 2 Lake Placid presented by Caesars Sportsbook in August at Saratoga Race Course, which earned a career-best 92 Beyer Speed Figure. 

Grayosh [post 1, Flavien Prat] boasts a 7-2-1-1 record with $216,793 in earnings, a strong return on investment from her $25,000 purchase price at the 2022 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearling Sale. She is out of the stakes-placed Paddy O’Prado mare Rosie O’Prado.

Peter Brant’s Spaliday [post 9, Dylan Davis] captured the local nine-furlong Grade 2 Sands Point in October when closing from 12 lengths back in last-of-7 to a neck victory over Macanga. In victory, she secured a second stakes win to go along with the 1 1/16-mile Boiling Springs in July at Monmouth Park where she added blinkers. 

The 4-year-old More Than Ready bay was sixth to Saffron Moon when making her seasonal debut in the nine-furlong Grade 2 Hillsborough on March 8 at Tampa Bay Downs. The $310,000 2022 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase is out of the City Zip mare Dayatthespa, who Brown trained to 2014 Champion Grass Mare honors. 

Klaravich Stables’ Dynamic Pricing [post 7, Irad Ortiz, Jr.] rounds out Brown’s contenders and enters from consecutive thirds in the Lake Placid to Grayosh and as the favorite in the one-mile Listed Winter Memories in September here.

The 4-year-old Night of Thunder bay made the grade last year with a half-length score over Way to Be Marie in the Grade 2 Edgewood traveling 1 1/16 miles over yielding Churchill Downs turf in May. That performance registered a career-best 90 Beyer, which she matched in a three-quarter-length defeat to Grayosh in the Lake Placid.

NBS Stable’s Grade 3-winner Mohawk Trail [post 6, Adam Beschizza] enters on a two-race win streak for trainer Kelsey Danner. The 5-year-old Pioneerof the Nile dark bay pressed the pace to win a one-mile optional claimer on February 14 at Turfway Park ahead of a deep-closing score in the 1 1/16-mile Pleasant Acres Stallions Distaff Turf for Florida-breds on March 30 at Tampa Bay Downs.

“She usually always breaks really well. That day at Turfway, there really wasn’t much pace in the race. We kind of just went out there to the front and it worked out well. But she hadn’t been on the lead in quite some time,” said Danner. “Then obviously at Tampa, she came from way out of it. It just depends on the pace. She is pretty flexible on where she goes.” 

Mohawk Trail has prepared for this race at Turfway Park, where she breezed five furlongs in one minute flat on Thursday. Before her recent successes, she hadn’t won since taking the one-mile Grade 3 Ontario Colleen in July 2023 at Woodbine. She entered that score from taking the 6 1/2-furlong Listed Alywow there. 

“I think it always takes a couple races to round her into form. She is kind of a heavier horse all of the time, so I think it takes a couple of races to get her fit,” Danner said. “She’s doing really well. She breezed really nicely the other day.

“She has always had a pretty strong kick. I think it just took her a couple of races to get back into it,” Danner added. 

Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher will send out Shadwell Stable’s Grade 3-winner Raqiya [post 4, Frankie Dettori] off a three-month layoff since a fifth in the 1 1/16-mile Grade 2 Pegasus World Cup Filly and Mare Turf Invitational on January 25 at Gulfstream Park. 

The Irish-bred Raqiya was favored in that race as she made her first start for Pletcher. She previously captured the one-mile Grade 3 Goldikova in her stateside debut and her last of eight starts for previous trainer Owen Burrows. The 1 1/2-length score over Uncorked came in gate-to-wire fashion and returned a career and field-best 95 Beyer Speed Figure. 

The 4-year-old Blue Point filly’s strong past campaign featured a win in the seven-furlong Group 3 Oak Tree at Goodwood when elevated to first and versus males in the six-furlong Listed Cathedral at Salisbury. 

Niall Brennan and Michael Ryan’s No Mo Candy [post 5, Jose Ortiz] stalked and pounced for an 18-1 upset in the one-mile Grade 3 Pebbles last out in November here. Trained by Saffie Joseph, Jr., the 4-year-old Uncle Mo bay capped a three-race win streak that also included a local 1 3/16-mile optional claiming score in September. 

No Mo Candy, an $80,000 purchase at the 2022 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, is out of the winning Blame mare Sweet, a full-sister to Grade 1-winner Fault. She boasts a 4-3-1-0 record with $181,680 in earnings. 

Wathnan Racing’s Heredia [post 2, Manny Franco] is set for her first stateside outing and debut in the care of Graham Motion. The 6-year-old Dark Angel dark bay hasn’t raced since a third to subsequent Eclipse Award Turf Female Inspiral in the Group 1 Sun Chariot in October 2023 at Newmarket. 

Heredia entered that spot from a win in the one-mile Group 3 Atalanta in September 2023, one of her six wins for previous trainer Richard Hannon, which all came in her native Great Britain. She is out of the Group 3-winning Mastercraftsman mare Nakuti, a half-sister to Amade, winner of the 2019 Grade 2 Belmont Gold Cup. 

Rounding out the field is dual Argentinian Group 1-winner Edict [post 3, John Velazquez, blinkers ON] for trainer David Donk; and three-time winner Lady Firefoot [post 8, Shaun Bridgmohan] for conditioner Melanie Giddings. Amanda’s Folly is entered for the main track-only. 

The Beaugay is slated as Race 8 on Sunday’s 10-race card, which also features the Grade 3, $175,000 Vagrancy [Race 7], the Grade 3, $175,000 Westchester [Race 9] and the Listed $150,000 License Fee [Race 3]. First post is 1:10 p.m. Eastern.

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