Aurelia's Belle proves best in Arlington Oaks

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. – Aurelia’s Belle was placed first via disqualification June 14 in the Grade 3 Regret Stake at Churchill Downs. On Saturday at Arlington, she needed no assist from the judges, scoring a solid three-quarters-length win over Stellaris in the Grade 3, $150,000 Arlington Oaks.

Breaking from post 9 under Channing Hill, Aurelia’s Belle was forwardly placed while two to three paths wide around the first turn of the local Oaks, settling into third for the run down the backstretch as Phaniebdancing, chased by She’s Offlee Good, set moderate splits of 24.71 seconds for the first quarter-mile and 49.31 for the opening half.

The running positions remained unchanged around the clubhouse turn, but just before the quarter pole, Hill asked Aurelia’s Belle for more run, and she quickly overtook Phaniebdancing to open a clear lead in upper stretch. Stellaris, making her graded stakes debut, set out after Aurelia’s Belle and made a decent late gain, but Aurelia’s Belle came home energetically enough to see off her challenge. She’s Offlee Good, running her best race since she won the Arlington-Washington Lassie here last September, was clearly third, with Interrupted, somewhat disappointing in her synthetic-surface debut, several more lengths behind in fourth.

Aurelia’s Belle, by Lemon Drop Kid and out of Aurelia, paid $4.40 as the heavy favorite and was timed in 1:52.34 for 1 1/8 miles on Polytrack. The filly was purchased at a 2012 yearling auction for $170,000 by owner James Miller and won for the fourth time in eight starts.

“She went out and did what she was supposed to do,” said winning trainer Wayne Catalano. “I think we saw she was a turf filly today. She goes a little better behind on grass than on Polytrack.”

With that in mind, Catalano said Aurelia’s Belle probably would be pointed to the $150,000 Pucker Up Stakes on grass here Sept. 13.