Audarya Runs Down Rushing Fall in BC Filly & Mare Turf

Mrs. A. M. Swinburn's Audarya overcame travel from Europe in the age of COVID-19 and 17-1 odds to win the $2 million Maker's Mark Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1T) in track-record time Nov. 7 at Keeneland.

The 4-year-old Wootton Bassett filly ridden by Pierre-Charles Boudot pulled the upset over Rushing Fall, a formidable favorite with five graded wins at the Lexington oval. She rallied from seventh to complete 1 3/16 miles in 1:52.72.

Audarya's odds did not necessarily reflect her recent record, but she was up against a slew of North American grade 1 winners that included the Chad Brown-trained pair of Rushing Fall and Sistercharlie, as well as the highly regarded multiple graded stakes winner Mean Mary, beaten a neck by Rushing Fall in the Diana Stakes (G1T). Audarya secured her first stakes victory only two starts back, winning the Aug. 23 Darley Prix Jean Romanet (G1) at Deauville by a neck. She returned Oct. 4 at ParisLongchamp to finish a good third in the Prix de l'Opera Longines (G1).

Audarya's two group 1 efforts came on soft and heavy turf in Europe, and trainer James Fanshawe said the possibility of firmer turf at Keeneland was a concern.

"Before she ran at Deauville, we were concerned about the race off times," Fanshawe said. "As you can see now, she's a very good mover, and I think she goes on any ground, but the Deauville race was four years upwards fillies, so that was sort of a nice group 1, and she held the ground really well. And she's a good mover, so I think she held the firmer ground. Easy to say in hindsight."

"Alison (Swinburn) has had horses with us for about seven or eight years now, and she's a great supporter of racing," Fanshawe's wife, Jacko, added. "She loves to celebrate her wins, and she will be celebrating hugely at home today. But she's obviously very sad that she can't be here today. But she's a very good horse person herself, she understands horses, she knows what it takes to get a horse to here, and she knows it's not easy. So she will be absolutely thrilled."

The start of the Filly & Mare Turf was eventful as Ricoh Woodbine Mile Stakes (G1T) heroine Starship Jubilee, who was in post 1, stumbled out of the gate and dropped jockey Florent Geroux before darting to the outside and racing down the outside rail around the first turn before being picked up by the outrider.

European contender Cayenne Pepper took the lead from the outside post of 14 and opened with fractions of :23.50 and :47.44 through a half-mile. Mean Mary, known for frontrunning wins, was second ahead of Rushing Fall in third. Audarya was settled in the middle of the pack. Mean Mary was able to gain the lead by a head and led three-quarters in 1:10.95, at which point Audarya had moved up to fourth.

Boudot shifted Audarya out, and the bay filly made a strong run down the homestretch. Rushing Fall took over down the lane and looked like she could notch another Keeneland win as she ran a mile in 1:34.56, but Audarya kept churning and wore down the favorite to win by a neck.

Audarya's record time bested Speedy Solution, who was timed in 1:53.01 in a July 11 allowance.

"She is not an easy filly. She's a big filly, but she does hang on and I think we should give a bit of credit to Daniel Muscutt, who rode her in early races because he got her to race properly, because she could have been too strong," Fanshawe said. "She takes any sort of workouts, distance and her and how to ride her and everything and to get her a bit relaxed better, but she's very special and we're very happy to have her."

Audarya marked Fanshawe's first Breeders' Cup contender, but it was not his first trip to the Breeders' Cup World Championships. He attended the 1986 event at Santa Anita Park when working for Sir Micahel Stoute. 

"We came over to Santa Anita and so we picked up a few things. And, actually, I went and saw Sir Michael and just refreshed myself, 'Are we missing anything, are we missing anything?' before I came over. But I had another chat with him about what we should be doing, in preparation, coming up into the race and he was very helpful. But he might not have been if he had another runner himself," Fanshawe joked.

It was also the first Breeders' Cup win for Boudot.

"It's just unbelievable. It's a dream come true for me," the rider said. "It is my first win during the Breeders' Cup week with Audarya. I had an opportunity because Ioritz (Mendizabol) had a positive test of COVID and his trainer give me this fabulous mare and today she makes her perfect job. The draw was bad, but the trip out was perfect, near to the rail, and after she did it, she did it well and she has been courageous today."

Rushing Fall held for second, a head over rallying Harvey's Lil Goil, the last-out winner of the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup Presented by Dixiana (G1T) at Keeneland. Grade 1 winner Lady Prancelot was fourth, three-quarters of a length back.

Both Starship Jubilee and Geroux were reported to be in good condition after the race.

Audarya was bred in France by S.A.R.L. Haras D'Ecouves. She is the second foal and winner out of the Green Tune mare Green Bananas, who also has an unraced 2-year-old Polarix colt named Orpaill'eure.

Stroud Coleman Bloodstock purchased Audarya for $147,475 from the Capucines consignment to the 2017 Arqana October Yearlings Sale. In 13 starts, she has a 5-4-1 record and $1,229,046 in earnings.

"The plan was, before this, to stay in training because she's out there racing and she's a pretty good horse. She's got better as she's got older, so thankfully she's in one piece, and hopefully she will stay in training," Fanshawe said. "But when you got that on your CV, it's quite a thing to progress from, but if she does go and train, it's a lovely target to aim for next year."

Video: Maker's Mark Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf (G1T)