Lady Pauline Ruled Out of Queen Mary Stakes
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Photo: Anne M. Eberhardt
Lady Pauline in her stall at Keeneland
Trainer Wesley Ward has been forced to rule Lady Pauline out of the Queen Mary Stakes (G2) at Royal Ascot after the juvenile filly suffered an injury in a workout at Manton.
A half sister to the mighty Lady Aurelia, herself a two-time Royal Ascot winner and US champion sprinter of 2017, Lady Pauline was an easy winner in her debut at Keeneland April 5, defeating a field of 10 other fillies by a dominating 9 3/4 lengths. Shipped across the pond for her next start, the daughter of Munnings suffered a shock defeat on her first start in Britain at Ascot last month.
As short as 6-1 for the Queen Mary, the vibes surrounding Lady Pauline had been positive from Ward since her defeat, but the trainer was forced to rule her out of the meeting after she suffered what he described as a minor setback.
"In her last work at Manton she came up with a real minor injury, which is unfortunately going to take us out of the race," said Ward Sunday evening. "She's on her way home now, but 100% she will be back shortly. The rest of the team are great."
Despite that setback, Ward could still be doubly represented in the June 19 Queen Mary Stakes, with unbeaten duo Anna's Fast and Kimari both quoted at single-figure prices for the group 2 contest.