My Impression looks ready for big effort in Beaugay

ELMONT, N.Y. – Trainer Shug McGaughey admitted to be being “surprised and disappointed” when My Impression, in her seasonal debut, finished fourth in the Plenty of Grace Stakes last month at Aqueduct.

“I think maybe she might have needed it,” McGaughey said. “I think a lot of the horses coming out of Payson needed a race for some reason.”

With a race under her belt and with the possibility of rain perhaps softening up the turf course, My Impression may be primed to turn things around in Saturday’s Grade 3, $200,000 Beaugay Stakes at Belmont Park. The Beaugay, run at 1 1/16 miles, drew a field of seven without a standout.

My Impression has only two wins over the last 19 months, but both have come over courses labeled good. There is rain in the forecast for Saturday.

“I think it helps her,” McGaughey said. “She’s not the best-footed horse, so if it’s real hard it’s probably not the best for her.”

My Impression closed out her 4-year-old campaign with narrow losses in stakes at Aqueduct and Belmont.

Lido, a daughter of Street Cry, enters the Beaugay off allowance wins at Gulfstream in February and Keeneland in April.

“I was a little surprised how close she was last time,” trainer Kiaran McLaughlin said. “Luis Saez gets on well with her.”

Trainer Chad Brown sends out the uncoupled entry of A Raving Beauty and Inflexibility. A Raving Beauty is a 5-year-old German-bred mare who makes her first start since finishing second in a Group 1 stakes in Italy last Oct. 29. This is also her first start in the U.S.

“She’s got a good turn of foot,” Brown said. “She’s got some form where a little give in the ground wouldn’t hurt her, but I don’t know for sure. I’d prefer firm.”

Inflexibility has won three of her last four starts, with her lone loss coming in the Sands Point here last year to stablemate Uni.

Inflexibility is running back just three weeks after she won a four-horse allowance at Aqueduct.

“I favor running her out of her own stall,” Brown said. “She has a little bit of a flighty temperament.”

Team of Teams will likely try to wire this field, something she did in the Sand Springs Stakes at Gulfstream on March 3.

Broken Bridle, who has shown the ability to handle a wet turf course, and Tricky Escape, who does her best running from off the pace, complete the field.