Keeneland Barn Notes

By Amy Owens —-

Keeneland’s 17-day Fall Meet opens Friday, Oct. 6, and concludes Saturday, Oct. 28,
with racing Wednesdays through Sundays. Fall Stars Weekend on the first three days of the meet
features nine graded stakes worth $3.75 million. Five of those races are Grade 1 events, including
the $1 million Shadwell Turf Mile (G1). Eight Fall Stars stakes are “Win and You’re In” contests
for the Breeders’ Cup World Championships at Del Mar on Nov. 3-4.
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Look for Keeneland updates in the coming days on Keeneland.com.
Daily Barn Notes will begin Monday, Oct. 2.

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LADY AURELIA RETURNS TO WORK FOR TRAINER WESLEY WARD

Stonestreet Stables and Peter Leidel’s European champion Lady Aurelia, based at Keeneland with trainer Wesley Ward, worked on the turf here Tuesday for the first time since her narrow loss in the Coolmore Nunthorpe (G1) at York on Aug. 25. The 3-year-old daughter of Scat Daddy, winner of the Giant’s Causeway (L) at Keeneland in April and King’s Stand (G1) at Royal Ascot in June, is scheduled to make her next start in the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (G1) at Del Mar on Nov. 4.

Under a tight hold by regular work rider Julio Garcia, Lady Aurelia covered four furlongs on a firm course in :50.30. (Click here for a video of the work.)

“Julio’s feet were in the dashboard,” Ward said. “We put her with the filly (Childhood) that we’ve got nominated to the Buffalo Trace (Franklin County-G3 on Oct. 13), and it was a really good work. I was really happy. Julio did a great job of just getting her to settle and relax.”

Ward said he plans to work Lady Aurelia each week, weather depending, at Keeneland leading to her departure for the Breeders’ Cup. “She’s everything you want right now,” he added.

“She’s a very, very – the fastest I’ve ever had – filly,” he said, “so I like to have the spacing between races. I just think that spacing is ideal. Especially being her first work back today, we’ll be able to get her (to the Breeders’ Cup) with what I believe is the greatest grass course in the world here at Keeneland, in good order – that’s the main thing.

“Lead her over to the paddock at Del Mar on race day as sound as she is today, it will take one heck of a horse to beat her.”

Lady Aurelia, purchased at Keeneland’s 2015 September Yearling Sale, is scheduled to fly to San Diego on Oct. 22.

“We’ll correlate when we have her last work here,” Ward said. “She gets on the plane, she settles in, gallops and she has a nice easy work before the race. Should work out perfect.”

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