Champion Lady Aurelia Sold For US$7.5 Million
With a US$2m start, the bidding for Lady Aurelia quickly jumped from two to five million dollars in a matter of seconds, with no immediate signs of slowing down. Onlookers pulled out their phones to snap photos, potentially their last chance to see the winning race mare in person before she retires to the breeding shed.
The multiple G1-winning daughter of Scat Daddy has impressed the world at Royal Ascot with her wins in the Gr.2 Queen Mary Stakes and Gr.1 King's Stand Stakes for trainer Wesley Ward. The first American-trained horse to win a Cartier Award and be honored as Europe's champion juvenile filly, the 4-year-old daughter of the late Scat Daddy was officially retired from racing earlier this year.
Bidding from an undisclosed location, the filly's breeder, Stonestreet Farm's Barbara Banke, who also owned the filly in partnership with Peter Leidel, allowed Fasig Tipton president Boyd Browning to strike the winning bid for her on the phone, effectively buying out Leidel.
Credit: Ritesh Jamkhedkar ritesh.jamkhedkar@secretariatsworld.com