Lady Aurelia kept her record perfect in three starts with a front-running win in the Darley Prix Morny (Fr-I) for juvenile colts and fillies Aug. 21 at Deauville.
Running six furlongs for the first time, the filly showed her class when whe stepped in a hole about a furlong out and temporarily lost steam, but quickly recovered and continued on with plenty left to hold back previously unbeaten Alrahma by three-quarters of a length. Good-closing Peace Envoy, winner of the Anglesey Stakes (Ire-III) July 17, was a head back in third.
"She hit two bad patches (of ground), and the second one she put her foot right in a hole and lost all her momentum," winning rider Frankie Dettori told Racing Post. "I won the race by a length, but I could have won by three.
"With a sound surface, she would have skipped right away. Newmarket will suit her even better."
Lady Aurelia led under a stout hold early before Dettori asked for her rally the final quarter. Trainer Freddy Head's Alrahma, last-out winner of the Prix de Cabourg (Fr-III), also was eager to race. She closed from three furlongs out to pursue Lady Aurelia in the final furlong but the winner was too strong.
Lady Aurelia finished the distance in 1:10.61 on turf rated as good.
Raced by Stonestreet Stables, George Bolton, and Peter Leidel, Lady Aurelia is being pointed the Cheveley Park Stakes (Eng-I) at Newmarket before she heads back to her United States base with trainer Wesley Ward to prepare for the Breeders' Cup.
Lady Aurelia was making her second start in a group race. She was impressive in winning the five-furlong Queen Mary Stakes (Eng-II) by seven lengths in June at Royal Ascot. She then shipped back to the U.S. to Keeneland, where she won her debut going 4 1/2 furlongs by 7 1/2 lengths April 21, before returning to Europe for the Prix Morny, France's first group I race of the season for juveniles.
"Coming into the race, we gave her a little break and trained her a little light, whereas before (Royal Ascot) she had had a race about a month before and so was a little fitter," Ward said, adding the Lady Aurelia would be domiciled at the National Stud in Newmarket before the six-furlong Cheveley Park for fillies, Sept. 24.
"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."
Kentucky-bred Lady Aurelia, a Stonestreet homebred, is out of the Forest Wildcat mare D' Wildcat Speed, a U.S. grade II winner who was 2003 Horse of Year in Puerto Rico. Stonestreet Mares paid $1 million for D' Wildcat Speed at the 2005 Keeneland November sale, where Taylor Made Sales consigned.
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