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My Miss Aurelia scores in Frizette
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| My Miss Aurelia stamped her
ticket to the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies in the Frizette
(Jessie Holmes/EquiSport Photos) |
Stonestreet Stable and George Bolton's My Miss Aurelia moved her record to a
perfect three-for-three on Saturday when capturing the Grade 1, $300,000
Frizette
Stakes at Belmont Park. The Steve Asmussen trainee ran one mile on the
Polytrack in a swift 1:35 1/5 and gave jockey Corey Nakatani his sixth victory
on the card, tying the single-day win record at Big Sandy.
"That's an accomplishment that I never dreamed of getting the opportunity to
do," Nakatani said. "It's unbelievable. Days like today, they don't come around
very often. I've always loved Belmont and the trainers and the owners have been
great supporters of mine throughout the years. With things looking like they are
in California, I decided to move back here, get my family back here, and make
this home. I'm glad to be here and looking forward to getting a lot of
opportunities and trying to make the most of them. I'm here to stay."
My Miss Aurelia head right to the front soon after the gates opened, setting
a quick pace of :22 3/5, :46 and 1:10 1/5 while tracked by Spare Change and
Stopshoppingmaria. The daughter of Smart Strike easily shook loose from those
two and proceeded to extend her margin all the way to the wire, eventually
finishing 5 1/2 lengths in front of Stopshoppingmaria.
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"She's actually a very racy filly," Nakatani remarked. "Steve's been doing an
unbelievable job, and Scott (Blasi), just to try to get her to put her wits
together and relax. Sprinting, sprinting again and then going a mile, she's
moving forward and doing everything right. That's a tribute to Steve and what
they do with these young horses. I'm thankful that I have an opportunity to work
with such a great horseman.
"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. 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."
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| Corey Nakatani celebrated his sixth win on the day when piloting My Miss Aurelia to victory in the Frizette
(NYRA/Adam Coglianese Photography) |
My Miss Aurelia was the 2-1 second choice behind even-money favorite
Stopshoppingmaria, returning $6.50, $3 and $2.60. The runner-up had 3 1/2
lengths to spare over Miss Netta, who was rank early on while running well back
in last before finally settling down and putting in a furious rally to take
third by 2 3/4 lengths over Holiday Soiree. Spare Change was another head back,
with Harbor Mist finishing the order under the wire.
"The track seemed to be really speed-favoring. All three dirt races have been
won by the inside speed," said Stopshoppingmaria's trainer, Todd Pletcher. "I
thought she ran really well considering she got bothered by the start, took some
dirt and was a little green when she first did that. We're pleased with her
effort.
"I think (she'll go to the Breeders' Cup), assuming she comes out of it well.
The way the track was playing and everything today, I think she has a legitimate
excuse.
Bred in Kentucky by Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings, My Miss Aurelia
captured her maiden debut at Saratoga on July 22, then showed up a little over
three weeks later to take the Grade 2 Adirondack Stakes at the Spa by a neck.
The winner's share from the Frizette boosted her career earnings to $300,000.
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"She's a special filly," Asmussen praised. "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. Not moving forward from here, you're just expecting more of
the same.
"We plan to go to Churchill with her on Monday, and hopefully everything goes
perfectly," he added of her running in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies on
November 4.
"Kentucky-bound, we hope," added co-owner Barbara Banke of Stonestreet
Stables. "I raised this horse from a baby, and I have loved her from the time
she was born. When it came time to name her, who else to name her for but
Aurelia (co-owner George Bolton's mother)? Her performance today was
spectacular, really spectacular."
The bay juvenile has nearly earned back her purchase price of $550,000 from
Bolton as a Keeneland September yearling. She is out of the stakes-winning Sea
of Secrets mare My Miss Storm Cat, who placed in the Grade 3 Landaluce during
her racing career, and counts as a half-brother the stakes-placed Unbridled's
Song colt Albergatti.
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