Triple Chelsea upsets Lady Aurelia in Giant's Causeway

LEXINGTON, Ky. - This has been a winter and spring of firsts for Adam Beschizza. The jockey scored his first North American stakes victory aboard Triple Chelsea shortly after the turn of the calendar, and piloted his first two winners at Keeneland on Thursday.

He then made it a triple with Triple Chelsea on Saturday when he got his first Keeneland stakes victory as the duo upset champion Lady Aurelia in the $100,000 Giant’s Causeway Stakes.

Triple Chelsea, who also gave trainer Joe Sharp his first Keeneland stakes victory, has now won three stakes from her four most recent outings, all with Beschizza aboard.

“The race panned out beautifully,” said Beschizza, who was born in England. “She’s definitely a filly that likes to be in a nice stalking position, and we were following the right horses into the final eighth. It was just a question of rousing her.”

Lady Aurelia, the Cartier Award European champion 2-year-old filly of 2016, won the Giant’s Causeway last year en route to a victory in the Group 1 King’s Stand Stakes at the renowned Royal Ascot meeting. Trainer Wesley Ward said a third trip to those races, in June in England, is in the cards if Lady Aurelia exits her season debut in good order.

"That's what we're here for," Ward said, referring to the prep.

Lady Aurelia was keen away from the gate under John Velazquez, tugging him up to sit on Morticia’s flank as that filly, a graded stakes winner at Keeneland last fall, led through the opening half in 44.98 seconds on a course rated firm. Meanwhile Triple Chelsea ($18.60) was settled in hand and in the clear, as she sat in the three path back in fourth.

Lady Aurelia got the best of Morticia entering the stretch, forging her way to a narrow lead. But Triple Chelsea, who had tipped out farther into the lane, was the threat, under well-timed left-handed urging from Beschizza. She collared the champion late and scooted clear, hitting the wire 1 1/2 lengths in front. She stopped the clock in 1:02.40 for 5 1/2 furlongs. Triple Chelsea got a 97 Beyer Speed Figure for her effort.

“They went awfully quick [up front],” Beschizza said. “I was patient and we got a lovely tow. I made the mistake at Fair Grounds before where I hit the front too soon – she does have a tendency to idle when she hits the front, so it worked out beautifully.”

After Lady Aurelia in second, it was another length back to Morticia in third.

“She was a little aggressive the first part of the race, and I think that cost her the race," Velazquez said of Lady Aurelia. "And then she got a little flat the last sixteenth of a mile.”

Sharp claimed Triple Chelsea, a daughter of Hat Trick, for $62,500 last September at Kentucky Downs, on behalf of owner Brad Grady. Since then, the filly has not finished worse than third in six starts. That includes victories in the Pan Zareta Stakes in January and Nelson J. Menard Memorial in March at Fair Grounds.

“I watched her replays and she just looked like a game filly that was very versatile,” Sharp said of his claim. “She’s just blossomed since we got her. She was in great condition when we got her and just found her niche. Adam learned her timing, and knew she needed to sit off it a little bit and today everything just worked out.”