Lady Aurelia

Background

Lay Aurelia is a bay filly with a white star bred in Kentucky by Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings LLC. As a yearling in September 2015 Lady Aurelia was consigned to the Keeneland sale and was bought for $350,000 by George Bolton & Peter Leidel although Stonestreet retained an interest in the filly. The filly was sent into training with Wesley Ward who had a record of success with precocious juveniles in European races.

She was sired by Scat Daddy who won the Champagne Stakes in 2006 and the Florida Derby in 2007 before his racing career was ended by injury. Scat Daddy's other offspring include No Nay Never, Daddy Long Legs and the American Oaks winner Lady of Shamrock. Lady Aurelia's dam D' Wildcat Speed was a Kentucky-bred mare who had great success in Puerto Rico before returning to the United States as a five-year-old to win the Rampart Stakes. She was a distant, female-line descendant of the inluential British broodmare Affection, who was the ancestor of numerous major winners including Creme Fraiche, Coastal and Nathaniel.

2016: two-year-old season

Lady Aurelia made her track debut at Keeneland on 21 April when she was one of six juvenile fillies to contest a maiden race over four and a half furlongs on dirt. Starting the odds-on favourite she led from the start and steadily increased her advantage to win "comfortably" by seven and a half lengths, in atrack record time of 50.85. The filly was then sent to England and had her first race on turf in the Group Two Queen Mary Stakes over the straight five furlongs at Royal Ascot on 19 June. Ward had an excellent record at the meeting and had won the Queen Mary with Jealous Again in 2009 and Acapulco in 2015 but the prevailing soft ground was not expected to suit Lady Aurelia. Ridden by Frankie Dettori she started the 2/1 favourite with the best-fancied of her sixteen opponents being the French challenger Al Johrah. Lady Aurelia went straight to the front and was never seriously challenged, accelerating away from her rivals in the final furlong to win by seven lengths from Al Johrah. The Racing Post described her victory as "one of the most devastating displays seen in modern times at Royal Ascot". Dettori commented "That was breathtaking from the top. To win by seven lengths at Royal Ascot was sensational and I've never seen or experienced anything like it especially for a two-year-old". Wesley Ward said "She's an amazing filly and she'll have a big future. I've got the Molecomb Stakes, or the Prix Morny, in my mind, but I'll talk to the owners and see if they agree". Stonestreet Stable's spokesman John Moynihan said "We always knew she was special from the time we broke her at the farm in Ocala. It was an amazing race and we were certainly worried about the rain and the soft ground they had, but she powered through it and we were ecstatic."

For her next race Lady Aurelia was sent to France for the Group One Prix Morny over 1200 metres at Deauville Racecourse on 21 August and was made the 2/7 favourite. Al Johrah was again in opposition whilst her other three opponents were Tis Marvellous (winner of the Prix Robert Papin), Peace Envoy (Anglesey Stakes) and Alrahma (Prix de Cabourg). She led from the start and although she was unable to open up a clear advantage she was "always in command" and won by three quarters of a length and a head from Alrahma and Peace Envoy. Dettori explained "She hit two bad patches [of ground] and the second one she put her foot right in a hole and lost all her momentum. I won the race by a length but I could have won by three. With a sound surface she would have skipped right away." Ward said "Coming into the race, we gave her a little break and trained her a little light... To have a filly like this is once in a lifetime. I think she's going to really show what she's got in the coming few races and we're very excited".

On 24 September Lady Aurelia, with Dettori again in the saddle, started the 4/6 favourite for the Group One Cheveley Park Stakes over six furlongs at Newmarket Racecourse with the best-fancied of her five opponents being Queen Kindly (Lowther Stakes) and the Irish challenger Roly Poly (Duchess of Cambridge Stakes). She went to the front from the start and went clear of the field but came under pressure approaching the final furlong. She was overtaken 50 yards from the finish and was beaten into third place by Brave Anna and Roly Poly. Ward commented "It's a humbling game, I expected her to win today... it just wasn't there in the last bit. She's had a tough campaign and she's a special filly. Hopefully we'll come back next year for the Commonwealth Cup and be all smiles then."

Assessment and awards

On 8 November 2016 Lady Auerlia was named Champion two-year-old filly at the Cartier Racing Awards, becoming only the second Cartier award winner (after Black Caviar) to be trained outside Europe.

In the official European Classification of two-year-olds for 2016 Lady Aurelia was given a rating of 121, making her the best juvenile filly of the season, one pound the top-rated colt Churchill.

Pedigree