Interrupted a worthy adversary for Aurelia's Belle in Oaks

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. – Aurelia’s Belle deserves to be favored over nine foes in the Grade 3, $150,000 Arlington Oaks on Saturday, but she is not a standout in the nine-furlong Polytrack race.

Interrupted, who shipped Wednesday from Maryland, appears to be a worthy opponent. Interrupted makes her graded stakes debut, while Aurelia’s Belle has contested nothing but graded stakes – including the Kentucky Oaks – since a winning debut last fall.

The other eight fillies all are some degree of decent, but unless one steps far forward or both leading contenders disappoint, either Aurelia’s Belle or Interrupted should win the local Oaks, and Interrupted, a longer price, can take down first prize.[bc_video_id:330547:]

KEY CONTENDERS

Interrupted (Last 3 Beyers: 82-71-62)

* Interrupted is by Broken Vow and out of the mare Alternate. Graham Motion trained both parents. They improved with age, and Motion was surprised that Interrupted has found success at 2. Her victories last fall, a maiden win and a first-level allowance turf-route win at Laurel, produced pedestrian speed figures, but replays reveal a filly unleashing unusually powerful stretch runs behind slow fractions.

* In her 3-year-old bow in the Florida Oaks, she finished fast for third behind the good fillies Testa Rossi and Istanford after getting hung up in traffic at a key moment.

*Sticking closer to the lead than ever before but still finishing fast, Interrupted notched her first stakes win in the one-mile Penn Oaks on May 31.
Interrupted has yet to race beyond 1 1/16 miles, but on pedigree and performance, she should improve at nine furlongs, though this is her synthetic-surface debut.

“The distance appealed to us more than the surface,” Motion said.

Aurelia’s Belle (Last 3 Beyers: 86-67-82)

* Aurelia’s Belle is trained by Wayne Catalano, who has gone 4 for 11 in 2013-14 in Arlington graded stakes.

* She’s 2 for 2 on Polytrack, winning a maiden race at Keeneland and a two-turn stakes at Turfway this spring. The filly, by Lemon Drop Kid, “is training very well” over Arlington’s Polytrack, Catalano said.

* Catalano said Aurelia’s Belle “can get a little spooky.” He equipped the filly with screens last month in the Regret Stakes, and Aurelia’s Belle races in blinkers for the first time Saturday.