European Champion Lady Aurelia Carrying First Foal By Curlin

Lady Aurelia, Europe's champion 2-year-old filly of 2016 and a two-time winner at the prestigious Royal Ascot meet, is pregnant for the first time to two-time Horse of the Year Curlin, Stonestreet Farm's Barbara Banke confirmed to Racing Post.

The 6-year-old daughter of Scat Daddy met with Curlin for her first mating in 2019, but without a successful conception. Both horses were campaigned by the Stonestreet operation, and Banke owns Lady Aurelia while also maintaining a majority stake in Curlin, who stands at Hill 'n' Dale Farms in Lexington, Ky.

Fetal sex scanning determined that Lady Aurelia's 2021 foal is expected to be a colt.

Banke told Racing Post that Lady Aurelia's partner for the 2021 breeding season was still to be determined.

Lady Aurelia earned Europe's champion 2-year-old filly honors in 2016 with a debut maiden win at Keeneland, followed by a victory in the Group 2 Queen Mary Stakes at the Royal Ascot meet, and a win in the G1 Prix Morny in France. She came back at three to win the Giant's Causeway Stakes at Keeneland, then she returned to Royal Ascot to take the G1 King's Stand Stakes, besting the world's top turf sprinters of any age or sex.

D'wildcat Speed, Lady Aurelia's dam, was bred to Triple Crown winner Justify for 2021, after failing to catch to the same stallion for the 2020 foaling season.

Read more at Racing Post.

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$2 Million Tapit Colt Headlines Day 2 Of Keeneland September Yearling Sale

A partnership of Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Robert LaPenta, Gainesway, and Winchell Thoroughbreds paid $2 million for a colt by leading sire Tapit out of Grade 1 winner Tara's Tango to top Monday's second session of the Keeneland September Yearling Sale, which was marked by competitive bidding and the sale of nine yearlings for $1 million or more.

For today's final session of the two-day premier Book 1, Keeneland sold 100 yearlings for $44,535,000, for an average of $445,350 and a median of $360,000. Cumulatively, 209 horses have grossed $85,215,000, for an average of $407,727 and a median of $330,000. Fourteen yearlings sold for $1 million or more through the first two sessions and were purchased by 13 different domestic and international buyers.

Monday's session closed with four million-dollar horses sold within the last 11 hip numbers.

“It was a frantic end to the session, and we appreciate Barbara Banke for her support of Keeneland and congratulate her on having another top-priced horse,” Keeneland Director of Sales Operations Geoffrey Russell said, referring to the breeder of the session topper. “Under the current circumstances, we are very pleased with the session. We are back to that great intensity of bidding, the going back and forth. The atmosphere and electricity returned, so that is wonderful.”

“For 30 minutes at the end of the sale we felt like there was no COVID,” Keeneland President-Elect and Interim Head of Sales Shannon Arvin said.

Eaton Sales, agent for Banke's Stonestreet Bred & Raised, consigned the session topper. By Unbridled's Song, Tara's Tango is a half-sister to Grade 1 winner Visionaire and Grade 3 winners Scarlet Strike and Madison's Luna.

Aron Wellman of Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners signed the ticket for the colt.

“Partnerships are so prevalent in today's market,” Wellman said. “It is wild to think how far partnerships have come. We had a fabulous relationship with Cot Campbell of Dogwood Stable going back to when Eclipse first started. To think how the partnership model has evolved and that now we as a partnership company are partnering with moguls in the industry. It speaks volumes.

“Barbara Banke has been gracious about staying in as a partner,” he continued. “She adores this colt. Hopefully between all of us we have plenty of good mojo. All I care about is that you are interviewing our partnership after (the colt) wins a Grade 1.”

Larry Best's OXO Equine acquired a filly by Into Mischief for $1.9 million. Consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent, she is out of the stakes-winning Medaglia d'Oro mare Taylor S, a half-sister to Grade 1 winner and sire Liam's Map and Grade 3 winner and sire Not This Time.

“Book 1 has been unbelievably strong,” said Best, who paid $1 million for an Into Mischief colt on Sunday. “It blew away my expectations. Keeneland should be very happy.”

Taylor Made was the session's leading consignor, recording sales of $6.92 million for 14 horses.

Three of Monday's seven-figure horses are by Into Mischief, sire of recent Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve winner Authentic. Into Mischief was the leading sire by gross on Monday, with 11 yearlings selling for $8.25 million. He is also the leading sire by gross for Book 1, represented by 20 yearlings that brought $13,085,000.

Another three of day's top-priced horses are by Medaglia d'Oro.

Shadwell Estate Company Ltd. of Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum paid $1.6 million for a filly by Medaglia d'Oro who is a half-sister to English and Irish stakes winner Sergei Prokofiev.

Rick Nichols, Vice President and General Manager of Sheikh Hamdan's Shadwell Farm in Lexington, signed the ticket.

“She is a beautiful filly – the kind you have to have,” Nichols said. “Sheikh Hamdan told me this morning to try to concentrate on getting some really nice fillies. We send all of our good fillies to England, and he keeps promising to send them back (but he doesn't). Our broodmare band is starting to get a little old, and we need to rejuvenate it a little bit. I am pretty sure she will stay (in the U.S.) because the (offspring of) Medaglia d'Oro seem to do better here.”

Anderson Farms, agent, consigned the filly, whose dam is the Tapit mare Orchard Beach. In 2017, Sergei Prokofiev sold for $1.1 million at the September Sale.

“I'm very emotional right now,” David Anderson said. “I bred the mother and I bred this filly and she's probably the most athletic filly I've ever had on the farm. We came here fairly confident that everyone would feel the same way I do, and I know that Mr. Nichols bought her for Shadwell. I want to thank Mr. (Joe) Allen for being the underbidder on the filly. There were many wonderful people that I respect that came by to see the filly and bid on her. It means a lot to a little guy from Canada.”

Robbie Medina, agent, spent $1.4 million for a Medaglia d'Oro filly who is a half-sister to Grade 1 winner Salty. Baccari Bloodstock, agent, consigned the filly, whose dam is the stakes-placed Dixie Union mare Theycallmeladyluck.

A colt by Curlin and a filly by American Pharoah sold for $1.2 million each.

The partnership of Repole Stable, St. Elias, Gainesway, John Oxley and Grandview spent the amount on the Curlin colt, whose dam is multiple Grade 1 winner Midnight Lucky, by Midnight Lute. Hill 'n' Dale Sales Agency, agent, consigned the colt, who is from the family of Grade 1 winners Hookedonthefeelin, Pussycat Doll and Jimmy Creed.

Mike Rutherford purchased the American Pharoah filly, who was consigned by Betz Thoroughbreds, agent. Out of Grade 1-placed winner Modification, by Vindication, she a half-sister to undefeated Amsterdam (G2) winner Yaupon.

Rutherford said his current racing stable consists of six offspring of American Pharoah, the 2015 Triple Crown winner.

“She is beautiful, gorgeous. Best filly I have seen,” Rutherford said about his latest acquisition. “Let's hope she can run.”

Medaglia d'Oro also sired a filly that sold for $1.1 million. Indian Creek, agent, consigned the daughter of the stakes-winning Indian Charlie mare Thirteen Arrows. Out of multiple Grade 1 winner Stop Traffic, Thirteen Arrows is a half-sister to Grade 1 winner and sire Cross Traffic.

Two fillies by Into Mischief brought $1.025 million apiece.

Don Adam's Courtlandt Farm purchased the first, whose third dam is Hall of Famer Personal Ensign. Clearsky Farms, agent, consigned the filly, who is out of the winning stakes-placed Distorted Humor mare Mary Rita.

“We've looked at a few Into Mischiefs,” Courtland Farm Manager Ernie Retamoza said. “Yesterday, we got outbid on the colt that brought $1 million. We're a big fan of Into Mischief. We thought (this filly) had a lot of substance and a lot of class, and she's the kind of filly we want in our race program.

“It seems like for all the better ones you have to go further than you thought you'd want to go. But that's the way the sale is going. Everybody is on the same ones it seems like.”

BSW/Crow acquired the second seven-figure Into Mischief filly, a half-sister to Grade 1 winner Gift Box and Grade 2 winner Stonetastic. She is out of the Unbridled's Song mare Special Me.

Liz Crow, who signed the ticket for an undisclosed client, said she first saw the filly at the farm before the sale.

“She has a great attitude, just the way that she carried herself and presented herself with a lot of class,” Crow recalled about that visit. “She did the same here. Every time I saw her she just was classier than the last time.”

The filly was consigned by Machmer Hall Sales, agent for Machmer Hall I.

“This means so much because I bought Special Me (at the 2009 Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale for $6,000) as a broodmare prospect,” Carrie Brogden of Machmer Hall said. “It has been a whole progression of seeing and raising all of her foals. She is a great mom and is easy to get in foal and raises nothing but runners. She is the little mare that could.”

BSW/Crow was the session's leading buyer, spending $2.84 million for four horses.

The September Sale takes a one-day hiatus tomorrow then resumes Wednesday with the first session of the two-day Book 2 beginning at 10 a.m. ET.

To view the full results, click here.

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Florida-Bred Leaderboard Presented By FTBOA: Breeze On By Leads Powerful Juvenile Class For Stonehedge LLC

A good 2-year-old can do wonders for the morale of a racing or breeding operation, and Gil and Marilyn Campbell have enough to spare in both columns during this year's Gulfstream Park summer meet.

The Williston, Fla., operation campaigns five of the meet's top ten juvenile earners on Gulfstream's main track through Sept. 1, including three of the top four. The leader of that distinguished platoon of youngsters is Breeze On By, a Cajun Breeze gelding who has made $223,000 while going undefeated in his first three starts with trainer Ralph Nicks.

After winning on debut by six lengths, Breeze On By has become a dominant force in the FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes series. On Aug. 1, the gelding led at every point of call to take the Dr. Fager Stakes by a length. Then, he won a speed duel to cement his star status on the Affirmed Stakes on Aug. 29.

Breeze On By will aim to sweep this year's division for 2-year-old colts and geldings in the In Reality Stakes on Sept. 26 at Gulfstream Park.

“If he does well and continues to improve, we'll start to think about the Breeders' Cup,” Marylin Campbell said.

Cajun Breeze, a 12-year-old son of Congrats, stands privately at Stonehedge Farm South. Breeze On By is out of the stakes-placed Fusaichi Pegasus mare Miss Primetime, who the Campbells purchased for $70,000 at the 2010 Keeneland November sale.

“This is second year at our farm,” Campbell said about Cajun Breeze. “His foals just don't give up. They're fighters and they're fast. They're good-looking horses. He only has about 16 named foals, and he's already a top 2-year-old sire in Florida.”

The Campbells also have an interest in the fast-rising Florida sire Khozan, which has paid off with the other four of Stonehedge's juveniles in the top 10 being by the resident of Journeyman Stallions. That group is led by homebred Go Jo Jo Go, who won the Desert Vixen division of the Florida Sire Stakes on Aug. 1, then finished third in the Susan's Girl Stakes on the Sire Stakes schedule on Aug. 29.

While Stonehedge currently holds a hot hand with youngsters, Campbell said she's tried to keep the operation's good fortunes in perspective.

“We've had our ups and downs like everyone,” she said. “We've been successful with 2-year-olds. Last year, we won the second leg of the Florida Sire Stakes with Liam's Lucky Charm. We do well with them.”

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Mr. Big News ‘Definitely’ Aiming For Preakness; Pegasus Winner Pneumatic Training Forwardly At Saratoga

Trainer Bret Calhoun termed Allied Racing's Kentucky Derby third-place finisher Mr. Big News “probable” for the Preakness Stakes but that a final decision likely will be made after the colt works later this week.

“Right now he came out of the Derby well; we're definitely pointing that direction,” Calhoun said at Churchill.

Mr. Big News rallied from 10th to finish third in the Kentucky Derby, 3 1/4 total lengths behind victorious Authentic and two lengths behind heavy favorite Tiz the Law. The Giant's Causeway colt earned a free spot in the Preakness Stakes by virtue of winning Oaklawn Park's $200,000 Oaklawn Stakes at 46-1 odds, almost identical to his Derby odds. In between those races, Mr. Big News was sixth in Keeneland's Grade 2 Toyota Blue Grass Stakes won by Preakness candidate Art Collector.

Calhoun said the Preakness decision will be almost solely made on “just how he's doing,” not on the other horses showing up.

“I want him to be coming into the Derby just like he came into the Derby,” he said. “If he's going that good, we'll run. Who else is running really doesn't have a big bearing. We're getting to the end of the 3-year-old races, so my options are either run him there, go to the turf or back off. I really don't want to run him against older horses at this point in time. So if he's doing really, really well, like he was coming into the Derby, we'll definitely run in the Preakness.”

Of the Derby, Calhoun said, “At the three-eighths pole I got pretty excited. I thought he might win the whole thing. I knew they were going pretty fast in front him, and I thought they might back up to him. He was moving pretty good to them. But the 1-2 finishers are very, very good horses and when they straightened up, they went on and we didn't close the gap very much from there.”

Two years after they finished a very close third in the Preakness with Tenfold, owner Ron Winchell and trainer Steve Asmussen will be back in the 1 3/16-mile classic with Pneumatic. Tenfold closed out of a fog that obscured the view of much of the 2018 Preakness, coming up three-quarters of a length shy of Kentucky Derby winner Justify, who went on to take the Belmont Stakes and the Triple Crown.

Pneumatic worked five-eighths of a mile Sunday over Saratoga's Oklahoma training track in 1:01 2/5. The Uncle Mo colt will remain there with assistant trainer Scott Blasi until shipping to Pimlico.

“He's training really well,” Asmussen said. “Obviously we were encouraged with his Pegasus. We thought it was his strongest race to date. It appears the Derby participants have come out in good order, and the Preakness ought to be a great race.”

Pneumatic won his first two starts at Oaklawn Park, then was third in Churchill Downs' Matt Winn Stakes (G2) won by the highly regarded Maxfield. After a fourth in the revamped Belmont Stakes, eight weeks later he captured Monmouth Park's Aug. 15 Pegasus. Now he'll have seven weeks before the Preakness.

“We made a conscious decision, because of how well he ran in the Pegasus from the timing after the Belmont to the Pegasus, to try to follow a similar plan that he responded to,” Asmussen said, “(having) nothing but respect for how good of a race it's going to be.”

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