Having earned 'TDN Rising Star' status when lowering Keeneland's 4 1/2-furlong track record in an Apr. 21 maiden special weight, Lady Aurelia (Scat Daddy) posted a scintillating seven-length tally to stay perfect in June's G2 Queen Mary S. at Royal Ascot and claimed a career high going three-for-three by wiring the field upped to six furlongs in Sunday's G1 Darley Prix Morny at Deauville. Leading from the outset and allowed a breather on the front end at halfway, the sharply breaking 3-10 favourite gave out few distress signals and established daylight when shaken up inside the final quarter mile, running on strongly to hold Alrahma (GB) (Shamardal) by 3/4 of a length. Peace Envoy (Fr) (Power {GB}) closed fast to finish a head back in third. Reporting a momentary scare in the closing stages, jockey Frankie Dettori explained, “I had a great run, but she put her foot in a hole about one furlong from home. She lost her balance and momentum, and we would have otherwise won by three lengths.”
Sunday, Deauville, France
DARLEY PRIX MORNY-G1, €350,000, DVL, 8-21, 2yo, c/f, 6fT, 1:10.61, gd.
1–&LADY AURELIA, 122, f, 2, by Scat Daddy
1st Dam: D' Wildcat Speed (Horse of the Year & Ch. Imp.
3yo Filly-PR, GSW-US, $530,755), by Forest Wildcat
2nd Dam: Velvet Panther, by Pentaquod
3rd Dam: Blue Eyed Cat, by Great Above
'TDN Rising Star' ($350,000 Ylg '15 KEESEP). O-Stonestreet
Stables/G Bolton/P Leidel; B-Stonestreet Thoroughbred
Holdings LLC (KY); T-Wesley Ward; J-Lanfranco Dettori.
€199,990. Lifetime Record: GSW-Eng, 3-3-0-0, €312,545.
*1/2 to Titletown Five (Tiznow), SP-US, $105,078. Werk Nick
Rating: B. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
[bullet ad=”stonestreet-bredraised”][bullet ad=”irt-shell”][bullet ad=”kbif-g1″][bullet ad=”us-bred-ky-bred-keen-grad”]2–Alrahma (GB), 122, f, 2, Shamardal–Albaraah (Ire), by Oasis
Dream (GB). O-Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum;
B-Shadwell Estate Company Ltd (GB); T-Freddy Head.
€80,010.
3–Peace Envoy (Fr), 126, c, 2, Power (GB)–Hoh My Darling (GB), by Dansili (GB). (€125,000 Ylg '15 AR15). O-Susan Magnier,
Michael Tabor & Derrick Smith; B-Team Hogdala AB (FR);
T-Aidan O'Brien. €40,005.
Margins: 3/4, HD, HD. Odds: 0.30, 7.10, 19.40.
Also Ran: Al Johrah (GB), Tis Marvellous (GB). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
Wesley Ward posted a groundbreaking win with subsequent GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint runner-up No Nay Never (Scat Daddy) in the 2013 renewal of this test, and his latest juvenile star will also attempt Breeders' Cup glory once fulfilling European obligations.
Reflecting on yet another dominating performance, Ward enthused, “This is a fantastic filly, the once-in-a-lifetime kind for a trainer. She just takes it all in her stride and does everything right. After she won at [Royal] Ascot, we took her back home to Keeneland and gave her light training. She came here fresh and showed her class again. It is a privilege to be in Deauville with such a filly and we've really had a great time.”
Expanding on future targets, he added, “I think that will set her up perfectly going forward. She will now be shipped to England in preparation for the [Sept. 24 G1] Cheveley Park [S. at Newmarket]. After that we'll take her back home and aim her at the Breeders' Cup meet. She's equally as good on dirt, but the [GI] Juvenile Fillies is over 1 1/16 miles, which I think will be too far for her at this stage. So we will stick to the turf and aim for the [GI] Juvenile Fillies Turf. She ought to do well in that race.”
Freddy Head was far from downcast after Alrahma closed late, while holding the late thrust of Peace Envoy, to take second and beamed, “I'm delighted with my filly's performance. She ran a great race and was closing well at the end.” Looking ahead to a possible rematch with Lady Aurelia, he added, “She is in the Cheveley Park and we'll decide in time if we take our chance there or go elsewhere.”
Pedigree Notes:
Lady Aurelia, half to Listed Gazebo S. runner-up Titletown Five (Tiznow), is out of Horse of the Year and champion imported 3-year-old filly in Puerto Rico D' Wildcat Speed (Forest Wildcat), who was unbeaten in 12 races in Puerto Rico–including six stakes events–before landing the GII Rampart H. Stateside. D' Wildcat Speed, a $1-million Keeneland November purchase in 2005, marks the best progeny for the high-class Velvet Panther (Pentaquod), who was twice champion imported older mare in Puerto Rico and winner of 31 of her 55 starts from two to six. She is a granddaughter of the stakes-winning Another Cat (Catullus), herself a full-sister to the multiple stakes-winning One Cat.
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