Lady Aurelia

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,[9] in a track record time of :50.85.[10]

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.[11] 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.[12] 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".[13] Ward said, "She's an amazing filly and she'll have a big future."[10] 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."[11]

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.[14] 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."[15] 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".[16]

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. The best-fancied of her five opponents were Queen Kindly (Lowther Stakes) and the Irish challenger Roly Poly (Duchess of Cambridge Stakes). Lady Aurelia 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.[17] 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."[18] A few days after the race, Ward explained to England's Press Association that "when we got back to the barn, the vet scoped her and she ended up having bled with a score of three out of five, which, in a group I, is enough to get you beat, probably."[19]

Lady Aurelia started her three-year-old season on 15 April as the even money favourite in the listed Giant's Causeway Stakes at Keeneland, where she faced a full field of older fillies and mares. She tracked the rapid early pace in fifth place, then made a five-wide move around the final turn. Despite having lost a shoe, she pulled away with a "sublime kick" to win by ​2 ¹⁄₂ lengths.[20]

Lady Aurelia arrived safely in England on 6 June to prepare for the King's Stand Stakes on 20 June at Royal Ascot. Dettori was scheduled to ride the filly but sustained an arm injury and was replaced by John Velasquez. Lady Aurelia started second favourite behind the British mare Marsha, while the other sixteen runners included Goldream and Profitable, the winners of the last two runnings of the race. Lady Aurelia took the lead in the last quarter mile and drew away to win by 3 lengths in a time of 0:57.45 for 5 furlongs defeating Profitable and Marsha. Ward said, "This is a Group 1 featuring the fastest sprinters in the world, and to duplicate last year, she's a once-in-a-lifetime horse."

Lady Aurelia made her next start on 25 August in the Nunthorpe Stakes at York. With Dettori back on board, she went to the front with Bataash, who gave way in the final half-furlong. Lady Aurelia seemed to have the race in hand but Marsha closed rapidly down the crown of the course and won by a nose. "I'm in shock", said Dettori. "I thought I'd won by a neck."[21]

Lady Aurelia returned to America for the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint, held that year at Del Mar in California. She was the odds-on favorite in a field of twelve but weakened in the stretch to finish tenth. Velazquez had no excuses for the poor performance. "There were a couple of speed horses so I let them go", he said. "She was just flat down the lane."[22] "It was a long season,"said Ward, "and we lost that sizzle from earlier in the year."[23]

After a sort break, Lady Aurelia returned to the work tap with a 3 furlong breeze in :38.48 at the Stonestreet Training on February 3. She breezed seven more times before she was entered in the Giant's Causeway Stakes on April 14 at Keeneland, where she finished a solid 2nd beaten by 1 1/2 lengths by Triple Chelasea. She then started training for a return to Royal Ascot for the GI King's Stand. On June 19 in the GI King's Stand Stakes, Lady Aurelia ran a disappointing 7th, after the race her jockey John Velazquez said: "She seemed to handle the ground well, she just didn't fire." Her trainer Wesley Ward said: "She's older and seasoned – I just don't know."

On July 18, Wesley Ward said: "She's been retired. It was a hard decision for me, it probably wasn’t as hard for her owners, she's been feeling so good at home, she looks a million dollars, but we have to admit that her last three races haven’t been good. Admittedly she set very high standards, but she hasn’t been living up to those. It's best for her that she's retired, she's sound and healthy and she's done a tremendous amount for my career. I can’t thank connections enough for trusting me to train her. I’ve had Breeders’ Cup winners and champion sprinters in America, but she's accomplished more than any of them. To have a filly named Cartier Champion Two-Year-Old for Europe and be trained in America was an unbelievable effort on her part. I’ve got to try to find a replacement now, but horses like her are once-in-a-lifetime."