Cross Traffic’s Neecie Marie scores big comeback win in Aqueduct’s G3 Beaugay

Cross Traffic’s 4-year-old filly Neecie Marie flew through the stretch in Saturday’s $175,000 Beaugay S. (G3) at Aqueduct to win the 1 1/16-mile turf race by a neck over Grade 1 winner Whitebeam (GB).

Neecie Marie, who was making her first start of the year, dropped back to last right after the start, with Whitebeam battling with Spirit and Glory through the first turn. After six furlongs, that duo opened up an eight-length gap on the rest of the field, with Neecie Marie still at least a dozen lengths from the leaders.

Coming into the stretch, Neecie Marie needed to make up 10 lengths, and she did just that with an amazing turn of foot, getting up in the final few strides to stop the timer in 1:42.80 on the “good” turf.

“I was a little concerned [about being too far back], but I could see the jock wasn’t concerned – he was still taking a hold going down the backside, so he must have felt he had something under him,” said trainer Robert Reid, Jr. “It looked like a daunting task turning for home, but this is a nice filly and I think a bigger, stronger filly than last year, too.”

Neecie Marie was second in both the Sands Point S. (G2) and Jockey Club Oaks Inv. (G3) and won the Mrs. Penny S. during her 3-year-old campaign. She is now 5-2-0 in 10 starts and has earned $361,950 for owner Michael Milam.

“We’ll see how she bounces out of this one,” Reid added when asked about future plans. “This was obviously a little under her best distance, but it was what we were looking for off the layoff and I think she’ll be better on down the road.”

The winner was bred by Jon Marshall.

Cross Traffic now has sired five graded stakes winners, topped by the champion 2-year-old filly Jaywalk and Ashland S. (G1) winner Defining Purpose. Cross Traffic’s 2024 fee is $10,000 live foal.