My Miss Aurelia defeated Stopshoppingmaria for the second time this year, drawing away in the stretch for a convincing 5 1/2-length win in the $300,000 Frizette (gr. I) (VIDEO) Oct. 8 at Belmont.
Corey Nakatani bagged his sixth win of the day on the Belmont card aboard My Miss Aurelia, a 2-year-old daughter of Smart Strike. The filly is owned by Stonestreet Stables and George Bolton. Stonestreet bred the bay and named her after Bolton’s mother, Aurelia.
Steve Asmussen trains My Miss Aurelia, a $550,000 Keeneland September 2010 yearling sale purchase out of the Gainesway consignment. She was produced from the Sea of Secrets mare My Miss Storm Cat.
The victory earned My Miss Aurelia an automatic berth in the Grey Goose Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (gr. I), where she is likely to be the favorite Nov. 4 at Churchill Downs.
Under a confident Nakatani, My Miss Aurelia never trailed in the one-mile Frizette, breaking alertly from post 1 and leading through splits of :22.64, :46.02, and 1:10.38. Spare Change pressed the pace until Stopshoppingmaria, a 9 3/4-length maiden winner last out, ranged up to challenge from second when they came off the turn.
But after getting within a couple lengths of My Miss Aurelia at the top of the lane, Stopshoppingmaria would never get any closer. My Miss Aurelia methodically increased her lead in the final furlong and cruised to the wire an emphatic winner.
The final time on the fast dirt was 1:35.22. Stopshoppingmaria, the even-money favorite, settled for second, 3 1/2 lengths in front of Miss Netta in the field of six.
"She actually would have gone faster if I let her; I was just trying to get her comfortable at a high cruising speed, knowing what her abilities are and what she can do when you ask her to go," said Nakatani, who tied the single-day record at Belmont with his six wins. "You’re basically just harnessing her energy and her power until the stretch and then you let her level out and do what she’s got to do to win the race.
My Miss Aurelia remained undefeated in three starts. She broke her maiden against Stopshoppingmaria in July at Saratoga and scored in the Adirondack (gr. II) by a neck over the same track Aug. 14. She has now earned $300,000.
"She’s a special filly," Asmussen said. "I thought her Adirondack was an excellent race, the way it set up and she showed a lot of heart. We just wanted more of the same. Now moving forward from here, you’re just expecting more of the same.”
The winner paid $6.50, $3, and $2.60. The exacta (1-3) returned $11.20 and the trifecta (1-3-2) was worth $33.40.
Holiday Soiree was fourth, followed by Spare Change, and Harbor Mist.