Harvey's Lil Goil followed a win in Keeneland's GI Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup S. Oct. 10 with a huge third–beaten only a neck at 20-1–in the GI Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf at Keeneland last time Nov. 7.

Civil Union, winner of last term's GI Flower Bowl S. over this course, had a four-race winning steak snapped, finishing another two slots back in fifth in the Filly and Mare Turf.

Lemista (Ire) (Raven's Pass), a dual group winner in her native Ireland, including the 2020 G2 Kilboy Estate S., makes her North American debut for Chad Brown after winning four of seven starts for trainer G.M. Lyons. She was last seen finishing 10th in the G2 Blandford S. Sept. 13.

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“The company carried her along,” said Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey. “She worked good. She's gotten better and better and stronger and stronger.”

The 5-year-old War Front mare extended her streak to four wins with a head score last out in the Grade 1, $250,000 Flower Bowl Invitational. The turf specialist arrived at the 10-furlong Widener turf test on a winning run-of-form that launched in a June 21 allowance tilt at Belmont and continued through scores in the 12-furlong River Memories on July 12 at Belmont and the 11-furlong Grade 2 Glens Falls at Saratoga.

Racing from sixth position early under Joel Rosario in the Flower Bowl, Civil Union advanced gamely to notch a narrow head score over Filly and Mare Turf-rivals My Sister Nat and Nay Lady Nay.

McGaughey said Civil Union, who ran second in a turf allowance in October 2018, in her lone Keeneland start, has the ability to be tactical if needed.

“In the Flower Bowl she was back a little further than usual,” said McGaughey. “If she gets a decent post and breaks good and depending what some of the others do, I know Joel will have her where he wants her to be. She's pretty versatile. She can settle in behind or if she needs to be up close she can be up close.”

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Victory in the 1 1/4-mile turf fixture for fillies and mares earned Civil Union a fees-paid spot in the starting gate for the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf as part of the Win and You're In Challenge Series. The Breeders' Cup will be held at Keeneland in Lexington, Ky., on Nov. 6-7.

Trained by Shug McGaughey, Civil Union was timed in 2:01.28 for the 10 furlongs on firm turf and paid $8.10 for the win. Chad Brown, who's trained five of the last six Flower Bowl winners and six overall, took the next three positions, with My Sister Nat second, Nay Lady Nay third and Cambier Parc fourth in the field of seven.

Civil Union had only My Sister Nat beat in the early going as longshot Lovely Lucky set the pace – under intermittent pressure from Cambier Parc – through fractions of :24.62, :48.93 and 1:14.36 for the first six furlongs.

Rosario moved Civil Union into contending position along the rail heading toward the far turn, with Jose Ortiz opting for the overland route aboard My Sister Nat.

Turning into the stretch, after a mile in 1:38.27, Cambier Parc poked her head in front as Lovely Lucky fought back along the rail. Rosario switched off the rail aboard Civil Union and found a seam to the outside of Cambier Parc, and began their drive for the wire.

Ortiz was forced to go wide into the stretch, making a bold but belated run with My Sister Nat in deep stretch but ran out of ground.

The win was the fifth from eight starts and the first in a Grade 1 race for Civil Union, produced from the Unbridled's Song mare, Photograph, the latter a granddaughter of Andover Way, a G1 winner for Allen who was the dam of successful sire Dynaformer. Andover Way's grandam is Darby Dan Farm foundation mare Golden Trail.

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Allowed to settle last but one beneath Joel Rosario, with only G1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner Sottsass (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr})’s French and American Group 3/Grade III winner My Sister Nat (Fr) (Acclamation {GB}) behind her, Civil Union was content to bide time from a ground-saving position as longshot Lovely Lucky (Lookin At Lucky) set a modest pace in advance of favored Cambier Parc (Medaglia d’Oro). Always traveling sweetly, Civil Union was short of room entering the final 2 1/2 furlongs, but accelerated three off the inside once La Signare (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) vacated that spot. With one of the best finishers in the business at the controls, Civil Union came calling for the lead nearing the sixteenth pole and was home first as My Sister Nat attacked the line down the center of the course. Nay Lady Nay (Ire) (No Nay Never), who was relegated to second favoritism in the last few clicks of the tote, could not quite match strides with the top two and settled for third, one spot ahead of a disappointing Cambier Parc.

It was the second Flower Bowl win in the last four years for Allen, trainer Shug McGaughey and War Front, whose daughter War Flag landed the spoils at 9-1 in 2017 before finishing a respectable sixth behind Wuheida (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) in the Filly & Mare Turf at Del Mar.

“When she started off this winter in Florida, I never imagined that she would be a Grade 1 winner,” the Hall of Fame conditioner admitted. “She’s progressed the right way. It’s fun. She’s a nice mare to train and nice to be around. She ran under some different tactics today on Joel [Rosario’s] part, but that’s why he’s such a great rider. He knows what to do.”

A debut winner from three starts for the Chad Brown barn in 2018 and 2019, Civil Union took a course-and-distance allowance in her second appearance for this barn ahead of a facile score in the 12-furlong River Memories S. July 12. With Rosario in the irons for the first time in the Sept. 5 Glens Falls, Civil Union sat handy to a walking pace, then covered her final three furlongs in a smart :34.97 to best My Sister Nat by a length.

Pedigree Notes:

Civil Union becomes the 23rd Grade I/Group 1 winner for her Claiborne-based stallion and is the 25th top-level scorer out of a daughter of the late Unbridled’s Song, three of which–Contrail (Jpn) and Volatile–have come this season.

Photograph is an unraced daughter of Black Speck, whose produce include the aforementioned War Flag as well as the former G2 UAE Derby hero Lines of Battle (War Front), who won the G1 Champions & Chater Cup in Hong Kong (then named Helene Super Star) en route to honors as that jurisdiction’s champion stayer. Civil Union’s third dam produced influential sire Dynaformer (Roberto) as well as the dam of GISW sire Offlee Wild (Wild Again).

A full-sister to the 2-year-old colt Battle of Britain, Civil Union has a weanling full-brother named Operation Torch. Having produced her first eight foals by War Front, Photograph was most recently bred to Tapit.

Saturday, Belmont Park
FLOWER BOWL S.-GI, $250,000, Belmont, 10-10, 3yo/up, f/m, 1 1/4mT, 2:01.28, fm.
1–CIVIL UNION, 124, m, 5, by War Front
1st Dam: Photograph, by Unbridled’s Song
2nd Dam: Black Speck, by Arch
3rd Dam: Andover Way, by His Majesty
1ST GRADE I WIN. O-Allen Stable Inc; B-Joseph Allen LLC (KY); T-Claude R McGaughey III; J-Joel Rosario. $137,500. Lifetime Record: 8-5-1-1, $396,810. *Full to War Dispatch, GSW & G1SP-Fr, $765,320; and George Patton, GSP-Fr, $105,521. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–My Sister Nat (Fr), 122, m, 5, by Acclamation (GB)
1st Dam: Starlet’s Sister (Ire), by Galileo (Ire)
2nd Dam: Premiere Creation (Fr), by Green Tune
3rd Dam: Allwaki, by Miswaki
(€20,000 Ylg ’16 ARQFEB). O-Peter M Brant; B-Ecurie Des Monceaux (FR); T-Chad C. Brown. $50,000.
3–Nay Lady Nay (Ire), 122, f, 4, by No Nay Never
1st Dam: Lady Ederle, by English Channel
2nd Dam: Bright Generation (Ire), by Rainbow Quest
3rd Dam: New Generation (Ire), by Young Generation (Ire)
(€44,000 Wlg ’16 GOFNOV; €50,000 Ylg ’17 GOFOR; $210,000 2yo ’18 OBSMAR). O-First Row Partners & Hidden Brook Farm; B-Stephen Sullivan (IRE); T-Chad C Brown. $30,000.
Margins: HD, 3/4, 2 3/4. Odds: 3.05, 5.20, 2.90.
Also Ran: Cambier Parc, La Signare (Fr), Beau Belle, Lovely Lucky.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

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Flying high following a victory in last weekend’s G1 Qatar Prix de L’Arc de Triomphe with Sottsass (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}), Peter Brant is represented by the French hero’s half-sister My Sister Nat (Fr) (Acclamation {GB}). Winner of the G3 Bertrand de Tarragon at Longchamp during her sophomore season, the bay was winless in a quartet of starts at four, however, did hit the board in three of them, including a second in Aqueduct’s 11-furlong GIII Long Island S. Nov. 30. Runner-up behind Mean Mary (Scat Daddy) in Belmont’s GII New York S. June 27, the French-bred annexed the 12-furlong GIII Waya S. at the Spa Aug. 8. Most recently, she finished second to Civil Union (War Front) in the Sept. 5 GII Glens Falls S.

Riding a three-race win streak, Civil Union, a former Brown trainee, joined the Shug McGaughey barn last fall, debuting for the trainer with a third in a 9 1/2-furlong Gulfstream allowance in January. Breaking through with an allowance score over this course and trip June 21, the Joe Allen homebred added the July 12 River Memories S. over 12 furlongs before her victory upstate. Joel Rosario, in the irons for her latest win, gets back on board this time.

“I think she’s a nice filly and she’s learned to put it all together,” McGaughey said. “We’ve been able to space her races in a good way and we’ll see if she moves it up the next notch. She’ll run as far as you want to run her.”

He added, “Most of the War Fronts like the firm turf. I think she likes this big race track at Belmont, too. She liked Saratoga and ran good there, but I think everything is coming together with her and I’m hoping it comes together Saturday.”

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Allen Stable's Civil Union, trained by Hall of Famer Shug McGaughey, outkicked the Chad Brown trainee My Sister Nat by one length in the Glens Falls going 1 3/8 miles on Sept. 5. The two will renew acquaintances in the 43rd running of the Flower Bowl, which serves as a “Win and You're In” qualifier to the Grade 1, $2 million Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf on Nov. 7 at Keeneland.

In total, Saturday's 11-race card features five graded stakes, including the Grade 1, $300,000 Champagne, a Breeders' Cup qualifier for juveniles; the Grade 1, $250,000 Frizette offering the same Breeders' Cup entry for juvenile fillies and the Grade 2, $150,000 Sands Point for sophomore fillies on the turf. Taking center stage will be the Grade 1, $250,000 Jockey Club Gold Cup for 3-year-olds and up with a spot in the Grade 1, $6 million Breeders' Cup Classic awarded to the victor.

The only trainer besides Brown to capture the Flower Bowl since 2014 is McGaughey, who won with War Flag in 2017. Civil Union, a 5-year-old War Front mare, has won three in a row, starting with a 1 ¼-mile allowance tilt on the Belmont turf on June 21 before winning the River Memories on the same track going 1 1/2 miles on July 12.

“I think she's a nice filly and she's learned to put it all together,” McGaughey said. “We've been able to space her races in a good way and we'll see if she moves it up the next notch. She'll run as far as you want to run her.”

Originally trained by Brown, Civil Union is 3-0-1 in four starts in 2020 for McGaughey, with all of her efforts coming over firm turf.

“Most of the War Fronts like the firm turf,” McGaughey said. “I think she likes this big race track at Belmont, too. She liked Saratoga and ran good there, but I think everything is coming together with her and I'm hoping it comes together Saturday.”

Joel Rosario will have the call from post 3.

Peter Brant's My Sister Nat is one of three entrants for Brown, who has won five of the last six Flower Bowl runnings. The 5-year-old Acclamation mare, who was a group stakes winner in her native France before arriving in the United States in 2019, won her first graded stakes for Brown by edging Mrs. Sippy by a neck in the Grade 3 Waya going 1 1/2 miles on the Spa turf on Aug. 8. That effort netted her a personal-best 95 Beyer Speed Figure setting up her competitive second to Civil Union in her last start.

Out of the Galileo mare Starlet's Sister, his half-brother Sottsass captured the Group 1 Prix de l'Arc de Triumphe last weekend at France's Longchamp.
Jose Ortiz will ride My Sister Nat for the fifth consecutive race, breaking from post 2.

OXO Equine's Cambier Parc returned off an 11-month layoff to run second behind Rideforthecause in the Grade 2 Canadian going 1 1/8 miles on the Woodbine turf on Sept. 12.

The well-deserved rest leading into that race was given after a 2019 season in which she won the Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks one start after running third in the Grade 1 Belmont Oaks. In October 2019, she followed with a victory in the Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup, ending her year on a high note.

Cambier Parc will look to start her 4-year-old campaign 2-for-2, exiting the inside with Hall of Famer John Velazquez aboard.

Brown will also send out Irish-bred graded stakes winner in Nay Lady Lay, who enters off victories in the Grade 3 Matchmaker on July 18 at Belmont Park and the All Along on Sept. 7 at Laurel Park.

The 4-year-old No Nay Never filly, owned by First Row Partners and Hidden Brook Farm, is 5-1 in eight career starts. She ended her 2019 with her lone graded stakes win, rallying from seventh to win the Grade 2 Mrs. Revere in November at Churchill.

Irad Ortiz, Jr. picks up the mount from post 6.

Trainer Tom Albertrani will send out a pair of contenders in Mark Anderson's Beau Belle and Elizabeth Mateo's Lovely Lucky, who ran third and fourth, respectively, in the Glens Falls last out.

Beau Belle will be making her 24th career start. The 5-year-old Giant's Causeway daughter was third in her previous appearance at Belmont in the River Memories.

“She's training well and came out of the race fine,” Albertrani said. “Hopefully, we can just step up a little bit and make up a couple of lengths. She didn't get beat very far. She tries hard every time she runs and she's always right there.”

Beau Belle did not make her graded stakes debut until her 4-year-old year and in her 11th start overall. After winning her first start in her 15th career race in July 2019, Albertrani said she started to figure things out.

“It took her awhile to break her maiden but once she did, it looks like she just started going forward from there,” Albertrani said. “She's matured and she got a little older and a little better.”

Luis Saez will be in the irons on Saturday, drawing post 5.

Lovely Lucky broke her maiden at fifth asking – and in her second career turf start- in June 20 over the Belmont grass before besting allowance company going 1 3/8 miles on the Saratoga turf on July 24. After running fourth in her graded stakes debut in the Glens Falls, Jose Lezcano will retain the mount from post 7.

Lovely Lucky made her first three starts on the main track before Albertrani moved her to turf to start 2020. She has won two of four starts since, including a 6 3/4-length score against allowance company going 1 3/8 miles on July 24 at Saratoga.

“She's also doing well. Ever since we stretched her out, she's shown she can be a competitive filly in these longer races,” Albertrani said. “I thought she ran well in the Glens Falls. She was a bit keen early on, so hopefully Saturday she'll settle a little bit and hopefully make up more ground.

“She was really impressive her first start at Saratoga,” he added. “That race was an eye-opener. We put her in the deep end in the Glens Falls but she ran quite well and wasn't beaten that far.”

La Signare won the Grade 3 Wonder Again last year and was third in the Grade 2 Distaff Turf Mile on Sept. 5 at Churchill. Since taking over the training duties last fall, Brendan Walsh has conditioned the French bred to a win in the Sand Springs on March 28 at Gulfstream and a strong runner-up effort in the Grade 3 Mint Julep in May at Churchill Downs.

Manny Franco will be aboard La Signare from post 4.

Saturday's card will feature a 12:20 p.m. Eastern first post. America's Day at the Races will present daily television coverage of the 27-day fall meet on FOX Sports and MSG Networks. For the complete America's Day at the Races broadcast schedule, and additional programming information, visit www.nyra.com/belmont/racing/tv-schedule.

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The 5-year-old War Front mare stayed tucked in on the rail from the inside post, while Beau Belle took command early on from her immediate outside, followed by Lovely Lucky. Luis Saez kept a tight hold on Beau Belle as the field entered the stretch for the first time in an opening quarter-mile of :26.76 seconds.

The three horses that led the pack heading into the stretch remained in the same positions heading out of it, with Beau Belle continuing to maintain an unhurried pace after they cleared a half-mile in :53.22 seconds. Rosario continued to keep Civil Union within striking distance in the pocket behind the two leaders, and he continued to wait patiently as the field entered the final turn through a mile in 1:44.61.

Beau Belle and Lovely Lucky began to put some separation on the rest of the field in the final bend, with Lovely Lucky and Jose Lezcano beginning to lodge her own challenge in earnest. Those two drew even heading into the straightaway, which left the space behind them open for Rosario to take Civil Union off the rail and three-wide.

While Beau Belle and Lovely battled up front in the final eighth of a mile, Civil Union gradually gained ground on the outside, while a pair of French-bred Peter Brant-owned horses began to stage threats of their own – Eliade on the rail and post time favorite My Sister Nat on the far outside. After setting all of the pace, the lead duo could not withstand the momentum of the late movers, and Civil Union took command within the final sixteenth, drawing clear a few strides before the wire to win by a length.

My Sister Nat joined Civil Union's outside momentum to finish second, while Beau Belle hung on bravely to finish third, ahead of fellow front-runner Lovely Lucky in fourth.

Civil Union completed the 1 3/8-mile turf race in 2:19.80 over Saratoga's firm inner turf course. She paid $6.50 to win as the field's second choice, and the win marked her first paring with Rosario in the saddle.

The winner raced as a homebred for Joseph Allen, and she was trained by Shug McGaughey.

Civil Union is a generational home-grown winner for Allen, who bred her dam, the unraced Unbridled's Song mare Photograph, campaigned second dam Black Speck as a homebred, and raced her third dam the Grade 1 winner Andover Way.

On the sire's side, War Front also raced as an Allen homebred, and has developed into one of North America's top commercial sires. He also campaigned War Front's dam, Starry Dreamer.

With Saturday's victory, Civil Union improved her lifetime record to four wins in seven career starts, with earnings of $451,672. This is her first career graded stakes victory, and her second overall stakes win, having come into a race off a victory in the listed River Memories Stakes at Belmont Park.

To view the race's chart, click here.

G2 Glens Falls Quotes – Courtesy of the NYRA Press Office

Shug McGaughey, winning trainer of Civil Union (No. 1, $6.50): “I think she can run all day. When she won the River Memories [July 12 at Belmont], she really punched hard from the eighth pole to the wire and she did the same thing today. It looks like when you ask her to go on and finish, she has it in her.

“I liked where we were behind the slow pace. I have a lot of confidence in Joel and I knew he knew where he was.

“She's trained very well since the end of Belmont and I thought she'd run well today. I was a little worried about the turf, but [it worked out]. I had a filly a few years ago named Apple Betty and she won the River Memories and I ran her back in the Waya and she finished fourth, so I said I wasn't going to do that with this filly. She's trained very well the whole time we've been up here.

Joel Rosario, winning jockey aboard Civil Union (No. 1): “She was moving really well but she took a little time coming out of the last turn and getting a hold of the turf. But as soon as I straightened her out, she was moving forward and from that point I was really confident.

“It was a slow pace but I was right there and just trying to keep my position. I knew the horses in front were going very easy and I thought with the slow pace they might keep going, but I was there. My horse was right there and she made everything easy for me.”

Jose Ortiz, jockey aboard runner-up My Sister Nat (No. 4): “She's got no speed at all. She broke a little weird and there was nothing I could do. The pace was very slow. I knew Tommy's [trainer Albertrani] horses [No. 2, Beau Belle; and No. 3. Lovely Lucky] both had speed. I couldn't really make a middle move, so I saved as much ground as I could and she gave me a great run turning for home.”

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