Civil Union reaching for Grade 1 in Flower Bowl

ELMONT, N.Y. – From an allowance race in June, to a listed stakes in July, to a Grade 2 event in September, Civil Union has successfully met the challenge every time.

Saturday, she brings a three-race winning streak into her first foray into Grade 1 company when she runs in the $250,000 Flower Bowl Stakes at Belmont Park. If she takes another step forward, Civil Union could earn her way into the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf at Keeneland on Nov. 7.

Civil Union, a daughter of War Front owned and bred by Joe Allen and trained by Shug McGaughey, is likely to go favored in a field of seven that includes three runners from trainer Chad Brown. That trio does not include Sistercharlie, last year’s Flower Bowl winner, who is being rerouted to the Oct. 18 Grade 1 E.P. Taylor at Woodbine.

Civil Union finished third in an allowance race at Gulfstream in January. McGaughey felt she would appreciate the wider turns at Belmont and waited until June to run her again. In a span of three weeks, Civil Union won an allowance race and the River Memories Stakes.

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At Saratoga in the Grade 2 Glens Falls, Civil Union met her most difficult field to date, but was able to outfoot My Sister Nat to win by a length.

“I think she’s improving all the time,” McGaughey said. “She’s trained really well. The Glens Falls was a good race. That was another step up. This is a major step up here.”

In 2017, McGaughey and Allen teamed to win the Flower Bowl with War Flag, also a daughter of War Front, who beat the Brown-trained Dacita by a head. If not for that head, Brown would have trained the last six winners of the Flower Bowl.

Saturday, he sends out the trio of Cambier Parc, My Sister Nat, and Nay Lady Nay. Cambier Parc ended her 3-year-old campaign last year with Grade 1 victories in the Del Mar Oaks and Queen Elizabeth II. Her 4-year-old campaign delayed due to hind-end issues, Cambier Parc finished second in the Grade 2 Canadian at Woodbine on Sept. 12, her lone start this year.

“She was a little too close to a quick pace,” Brown said. “She can run on the lead, but off a layoff, going 46-and-change wasn’t the trip I was looking for. She got a little tired toward the end. She got the race she needed; she should move forward.”

John Velazquez, who would have ridden Sistercharlie, is reunited with Cambier Parc, on whom he won both Grade 1 stakes last year.

My Sister Nat tried to rally behind a slow pace in the Glens Falls but had to settle for second. Two starts back she won the Grade 3 Waya.

Nay Lady Nay won the Grade 3 Matchmaker and the listed All Along in her last two starts. She will run farther than 1 1/8 miles for the first time in the Flower Bowl.

“She seems to be moving forward and she’s giving me the impression she’ll stretch out farther,” Brown said.

Beau Belle and Lovely Lucky, both trained by Tom Albertrani, ran third and fourth behind Civil Union and My Sister Nat in the Glens Falls.

La Signare, who won the Wonder Again Stakes here as a 3-year-old when trained by Brian Lynch, ships in from Kentucky for Brendan Walsh, who has trained her for about a year.