Homerique announces her presence with authority in Beaugay Stakes

ELMONT, N.Y. – While their champion Sistercharlie works her way back to the races, owner Peter Brant and trainer Chad Brown appear to have another top-level turf mare poised for success in 2019.

Homerique, making her U.S. debut and first start in seven months, unleashed a strong stretch kick under Irad Ortiz Jr. to outfinish her stablemate Competitionofideas and win Saturday’s Grade 3, $200,000 Beaugay Stakes at Belmont Park.

Homerique beat Competitionofideas, who rallied along the rail under Joel Rosario, by a half-length as Brown ran 1-2 in the race. It was 2 1/2 lengths farther back to the pacesetting Chipolata in third.

Andina Del Sur finished fourth, followed by Matty’s Magnum and Binti Al Nar.

Brant purchased Homerique last fall following the filly’s third-place finish in the Group 1 Prix de l'Opera at Longchamp.

She wintered in South Florida, and Brown was looking to run her in a 1 1/8-mile allowance race. When that didn’t fill, Brown opted for this spot following a Tuesday workout on dirt in company with Sistercharlie.

Homerique was last of six early but only 3 3/4 lengths behind Chipolata, who set pedestrian fractions of 26.87 seconds for the quarter, 52.86 for the half, and six furlongs in 1:16.92.

Ortiz was following Rosario aboard the Grade 1 winner Competitionofideas. Coming to the top of the lane, Rosario went inside, Ortiz went outside, and it was going to come down to whose late kick was best.

On this day, it was Homerique, who covered the 1 1/16 miles over firm turf in 1:44.76 and returned $3.70 as the favorite.

“Scheduling-wise, I was trying to get a way to the New York [Stakes],” Brown said, referring to the Grade 2, $600,000 turf race at 1 1/4 miles on June 7. “She did what really good horses do – she overcame not only a layoff but running a shorter distance than she wants to run.”

Though Ortiz had never before been on Homerique, he rode her with a ton of confidence despite being stuck behind a slow pace.

“I told Peter, ‘Don’t panic because first time in the country, they don’t break that good, but I’m going to be on top of them no matter what because there’s no pace in the race,’ ” Ortiz said. “I rode her with confidence, followed Joel because that’s the horse I probably had to beat. He went inside, I went outside, tipped her out, and she responded very well.”

Brown said he was happy with the effort by Competitionofideas, who was making her first start since she won the Grade 1 American Oaks last December at Santa Anita.

Brown said both Homerique and Competitionofideas would be pointed to the New York. He also said Sistercharlie, who won four Grade 1 stakes last year, might simply train up to the Grade 1 Diana at Saratoga on July 13.