CONNOLLY’S RED MILLS

CHEVELEY PARK STAKES

(GROUP 1)

ALL of the pre-race publicity was about Wesley Ward’s flying machine Lady Aurelia but the 4/6 shot could manage no better than third in the Connolly’s Red Mills Cheveley Park Stakes at Newmarket on Saturday.

Victory went to Aidan O’Brien’s 25/1 shot Brave Anna, who was widely considered to be Ballydoyle’s second string but battled on gamely for Seamie Heffernan to deny stable-companion Roly Poly and Ryan Moore by a short-head.

For a filly with so much natural speed, Lady Aurelia was poorly priced over this stiff six furlongs. Taken down early and ponied to the start, she was quickly away and Frankie Dettori had little option but to let her stride on.

She found plenty when first brought under pressure but Roly Poly, chasing her throughout, finally won the battle inside the final furlong, only for Brave Anna to force her head in front in the dying strides.

Lady Aurelia was only two lengths adrift in third, followed by Queen Kindly, who has to be labelled disappointing, given Richard Fahey’s very high opinion of her.

Overall, the bookmakers did not regard this as Guineas form and Brave Anna was offered at 25/1 for the 1000 soon after the race.

The winner was unplaced at 14/1 in the Moyglare but that was over seven furlongs and she is clearly happier at six, where she remains unbeaten in three outings. Sometimes the better-fancied of an O’Brien duo will be driven just that bit harder close home but there was no question of that here. Brave Anna is owned by John Magnier’s mother Evie Stockwell, not the usual triumvirate, and Heffernan went for everything, incurring a four-day ban for misuse of the whip in the process.

“You’d say, looking at her today, that she’d get seven furlongs okay,’’ O’Brien observed. “The two fillies both came home very well and I don’t think either of them wilted close to the line.’’

Ward was philosophical afterwards.

“Yes, she showed at Ascot that five furlongs is just right but I expected her to win today,’’ he said. “I’d like to have seen her a bit more relaxed but she’s a special filly and I hope that I can come back to Ascot next year for the Commonwealth Cup.’’

Lady Aurelia was found to have bled after being scoped and Ward said the Scat Daddy two-year-old would now get some recovery time at breeder and co-owner Barbara Banke’s Stonestreet Farm before being trained for Royal Ascot.