Lady Aurelia in top form
Ward reports Lady Aurelia to have "worked great" on Saturday as she gears up for the Cheveley Park where she will meet Lowther winner Queen Kindly and the smart Roly Poly
WESLEY Ward predicts Lady Aurelia will run her "best ever race" in the Connolly's Red Mills Cheveley Park Stakes at Newmarket on Saturday.
The daughter of Scat Daddy added to the American trainer's Royal Ascot tally with a devastating display in the Queen Mary Stakes and while she was less spectacular in last month's Prix Morny, she still won comfortably to maintain her unbeaten record.
Since her French outing, Lady Aurelia has been stabled in Newmarket and while Ward has not been on hand to monitor her progress himself, positive reports from jockey Frankie Dettori have left him in confident mood ahead of his star filly's latest assignment.
"Lady Aurelia worked great on the Rowley Mile (on Saturday) and is ready to run her best ever race," said Ward.
"I have a lot to thank my assistant trainer, Frankie Dettori, for! He's the only person to have ridden her since she came over from France after the Prix Morny and I'm really excited to have been having such interaction race-to-race from the world's greatest jockey.
"When I wake up every morning there's a video bulletin from Frankie waiting for me, telling me how things are going - it's as if I was there. And he's been telling me that we are really going to see something from her this time.
"Lady Aurelia was at a disadvantage at Ascot and in the Morny as she was taking on the home team. Now, mainly thanks to Brian O'Rourke who has graciously allowed her to lodge at the National Stud, I feel that we are more of the home team than they are.
"The Rowley Mile is an opulent course and she's already been able to experience it a few times.
"I gave her a month off after Ascot, before the Morny she just had four easy breezes, so in hindsight maybe she was not as cranked up for that as she might have been.
"And, when you study the Deauville video, you can see that she steps in a hole at the furlong marker - there's a cloud of dust around all four of her feet."
Lady Aurelia could face up to nine rivals in the six-furlong Group One feature.
Heading the home challenge is the Richard Fahey-trained Frankel filly Queen Kindly, winner of last month's Lowther Stakes at York.
Mark Johnston's Kilmah and Nations Alexander from Richard Hannon's yard both bring plenty of experience to the party. Hannon has also left in Promising, who remains a maiden after three starts.
Aidan O'Brien has two chances in Brave Anna and Roly Poly. Brave Anna won the Albany Stakes at the Royal meeting but has been disappointing since, while Roly Poly won the Duchess of Cambridge Stakes on the July Course before finding Queen Kindly too strong on the Knavesmire.
Michael O'Callaghan's Holy Cat and the Ger Lyons-trained Velveteen are other potential Irish raiders.
David Simcock's Pellucid completes the list.
