Trainer Chad Brown said he had always thought of City Girl as one who could have stakes potential. It might have taken more than two years, but the 5-year-old mare made up for lost time in an upset score over graded stakes winners Dynamic Pricing and Laurelin in the Grade 3 Beaugay Stakes on Sunday at Aqueduct. In her last start in France in April 2024, City Girl finished second in her stakes debut, but she did not run again until February. Flavien Prat rode her off the 21-month layoff and closed from 10th that day to finish third, giving the jockey valuable insight ahead of her return to stakes company at Aqueduct. “Short field, obviously she had a few runs in her now,” Prat said.  “She had run farther distances in France. I thought stamina wouldn't be a problem, so I thought it was a good day to try [near the front]." Though she won her second allowance start at Tampa Bay Downs in late March, bettors remained skeptical that she could stack up to Dynamic Pricing, her stablemate and a Grade 1 winner, or Laurelin, who had never finished worse than second for trainer Graham Motion. :: Access the most trusted data and information in horse racing! DRF Past Performances and Picks are available now. Her connection to Brown managed to depress her odds in the field of five, but she still paid $9.02 to win in a mild upset. Forwardly placed under Prat, City Girl actually held a short lead early in the 1 1/16-mile turf race and completed the opening quarter-mile in 24.37 seconds. She eased back to third on the backstretch, however, allowing 14-1 outsider Mo Fox Givin to take over through a half-mile in 48.90. “I wanted to get her in the race,” Prat said. “It seemed like [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.” Laurelin, who was running against older fillies and mares for the first time, advanced into second and was the first to challenge the pacesetter on the far turn. She and City Girl moved together at the top of the stretch, while even-money favorite Dynamic Pricing was still rallying for fourth. Even after putting away Laurelin, it still seemed like City Girl was going to be vulnerable to her stablemate in the final furlong. But though Irad Ortiz Jr. did his best to kick his mare into gear, Prat and City Girl never relented and prevailed by three-quarters of a length. She finished the 1 1/16-mile distance in 1:42.61 (92 Beyer Speed Figure). Laurelin, game but fatigued in her 4-year-old debut, finished two lengths behind Dynamic Pricing in third. After Dynamic Pricing won the Beaugay last year, she shipped to Saratoga as one of three Brown runners in the Grade 1 Just a Game, where she improved to win again with a 100 Beyer Speed Figure. With yet another 1-2 stakes finish under his belt, Brown has every reason to step up both runners after their performances Sunday. License Fee Stakes Trainer Miguel Clement said that if he had it his way, Aqueduct would stay open for another year, if only for Love Cervere’s sake. The 4-year-old filly was a renewed force in New York on Sunday, delivering another brilliant effort to win the $150,000 License Fee Stakes. She remains undefeated in four career starts on the surface. “She’s a very talented filly,” Clement said. “Every time you run her at six [furlongs] or 6 1/2, you really get a great performance. Sometimes we have to run her a bit shorter than ideal, but she still delivers.” Last month, Love Cervere returned to racing in the Grade 2 Giant’s Causeway at Keeneland, where she finished seventh in an underwhelming 5 3/4-length defeat. Clement took full responsibility for the lethargic start and said he was glad to see her bounce back in a familiar setting. It was her first victory since October, when she won the Grade 3 Glen Cove at Aqueduct at the same six-furlong distance. “I got it wrong at Keeneland, and take nothing away from the filly,” Clement said. “I blame myself 100 percent, and that’s what gave us the confidence to run her back here 20 days later, and she was good enough to do so.” Mega Mil, a stakes-placed contender trying turf for the first time, proved stubborn on the front after completing the opening quarter-mile in 22.97 seconds and the half-mile in 46.03. But when she showed signs of fatigue and came back to the field, a swarm of closers in the field of eight were ready to take over. Civetta and Jody’s Pride made stalking bids and had the first chance, while Cynane and Buttercream Babe were farther back and had to wait behind horses before making belated moves. Love Cervere struck the balance perfectly, as jockey Manny Franco advanced from seventh early on and swung the 5-2 second choice toward the center of the track on the far turn. She was already in second at the top of the stretch and pounced on the pacesetter. “I got the trip that I wanted,” Franco said. “I was hoping for pace. I got a little bit of pace, so I rode my filly with confidence. I took back. I made one run on the outside. It worked out great.” Cynane and Buttercream Babe both flew home late and might have had a say with cleaner trips, but they had no chance of catching the unmarked winner, who held clear by three-quarters of a length. Cynane took second for trainer Brad Cox, finishing a half-length ahead of Rusty Arnold trainee Buttercream Babe. Clement said he preferred six furlongs or longer for his turf sprinter, now a four-time stakes winner, but fate is likely to intervene once more. The Grade 2 Intercontinental, run during the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at Saratoga in June, would be a natural next start, though it would also require the mare to cut back to 5 1/2 furlongs. “We’ll fall in that same trap,” Clement said. “But I think you have to dance every dance, and the logical next step is to run in the Intercontinental and support our friends at NYRA.” :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.