Aurelia's Belle takes Regret via disqualification of favorite A Little Bit Sassy

Aurelia's Belle takes Regret via disqualification of

favorite A Little Bit Sassy

Aurelia's Belle did her best to get by 5-2 favorite A Little Bit Sassy in

Saturday's Grade 3, $111,900

Regret

on the Downs After Dark program at Churchill Downs, but found herself floated

across the track when jockey Luis Saez went to the left-handed whip on the

public's choice.

A Little Bit Sassy crossed under the wire a head in front of Aurelia's Belle

and John Velazquez while finishing nine furlongs on the firm turf in 1:48.

However, A Little Bit Sassy's trip across the track affected not only A Little

Bit Sassy but Kiss Moon as well. That filly was coming strong behind the top

pair under Corey Lanerie but was bumped, shut off and forced to check hard.

The stewards immediately posted the inquiry signal, and objections were

lodged soon after against A Little Bit Sassy. After speaking with all the

concerned parties, the stewards disqualified the favorite and placed her behind

Kiss Moon in the order of finish. That elevated Aurelia's Belle to first,

Personal Diary to second and Kiss Moon to third.

A Little Bit Sassy stalked outside the pacesetting Istanford, who was exiting

a win in the Arlington Classic over the boys, on the backstretch through splits

of :23 2/5, :47 3/5 and 1:11 4/5. Heading into the lane, Istanford struggled to

maintain her momentum as A Little Bit Sassy kicked on. Tepin saved ground just

behind those two on the inside and tried to sneak through on the hedge but found

herself shut off and faded.

Aurelia's Belle and Kiss Moon ran in midpack on the backstretch and rallied

down the stretch. The former was threatening A Little Bit Sassy when she found

herself suddenly herded toward the grandstand while Kiss Moon was forced to hit

the brakes.

Following the stewards' decision to place A Little Bit Sassy fourth,

Aurelia's Belle paid $8.80 for the win as the 3-1 second choice. Personal Diary

was a half-length behind her, just getting the best of Kiss Moon by a length on

the wire. Completing the order under the wire were V V Goodnight, Share the

Sugar, Istanford and Tepin. Stellaris and Handmade were both withdrawn.

Aurelia's Belle is trained by Wayne Catalano for James F. Miller and has now

racked up $253,747 in career earnings to go along with a 7-3-1-2 scorecard. The

Regret was the Lemon Drop Kid filly's second stakes win following a 2 1/4-length

victory in the Bourbonette Oaks on Turfway Park's synthetic Polytrack in March.

That win propelled Aurelia's Belle into the Kentucky Oaks last out under the

Twin Spires, but the bay filly suffered the first unplaced finish of her career

when ninth in that contest.

After taking her maiden debut on Keeneland's Polytrack last fall, Aurelia's

Belle didn't reappear until a third in the Old Hat at Gulfstream Park on January

4. She finished second in the Forward Gal and third in the Davona Dale, proving

she can run on dirt as well as turf and synthetic, prior to her Bourbonette Oaks

and Kentucky Oaks forays.

Bred in Kentucky by Alexander-Grove-Matz, Aurelia's Belle sold for $170,000

as a Keeneland September yearling. She is out of the Danzig mare Aurelia, who

never actually won on track but found breeding shed success with the Regret

winner.

Aurelia is herself the daughter of Grade 2 diva Aishah, who also produced

Grade 1 scorer Aldiza, Grade 2 heroine Atelier, stakes winner Arabis, Grade

1-placed Aunt Anne, Grade 3 runner-up Elajjud and multiple stakes-placed They

Call Me Giant.

Aurelias Belle counts as her third dam 1983 Broodmare of the Year and

blue-hen mare Courtly Dee, whose descendants include champion two-year-old filly

Althea; UAE Horse of the Year Festival of Light; Japanese champion filly Yamanin

Paradise; Grade 1-scoring millionaire Acoma; and Grade/Group 1 winners Balletto,

Ali Oop, Ketoh, Aldiza and Green Desert.

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