Hot City Girl surprises in Charles Town Oaks

Hot City Girl came into Saturday night’s Grade 3, $350,000 Charles Town Oaks winless in four starts since January. Her only two career victories came in races restricted to New York-breds.

And in her only previous try against graded stakes company, the 3-year-old Hot City Girl had flashed speed and faded to fifth.

Equipped with blinkers for the first time, Hot City Girl went to the front again, just like she did in her previous start in the Grade 1 Mother Goose nearly three months ago. But this time she didn’t stop.

Under Jose Ortiz, Hot City Girl ($16.40) rolled to a 2 1/2-length victory, completing seven furlongs in 1:23.80. She is now 3 for 9 lifetime for trainer Linda Rice and owner Lady Sheila Stable, headed by Sheila Rosenblum, whose group also campaigns the highly successful La Verdad.

“We’re absolutely thrilled," said Rice. "I’d scratched her out of the Prioress when she drew the 1 [post] in a large field and I didn’t like the way the race set up for her.

“We had been trying to get her graded placed or a graded win," Rice added. "She’s a half-sister to La Verdad and I’ve trained for Mrs. Rosenblum for a while, so this is special.”

Rice indicated she would point Hot City Girl to the Grade 2 Raven Run at Keeneland, a seven-furlong race for 3-year-old fillies on Oct. 17.

Another New York shipper, the Todd Pletcher-trained Temper Mint Patty, finished second by a nose at 5-1. The Chicago-based Toutsie Rules, the longest shot among six 3-year-old fillies at 40-1, finished third and White Clover wound up fourth at 4-1.

Both of the top two betting choices, 3-2 favorite Sarah Sis and 2-1 second choice Fusiachi Red, were sixth and fifth, respectively.

The $2 exacta paid $77.20, the $2 trifecta paid $792.20 and a dime superfecta returned $153.09.