Marsha Grabs Lady Aurelia On the Line For Nunthorpe Glory

Left out of most calculations which focused on the big two Lady Aurelia (Scat Daddy) and Battaash (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), Elite Racing Club's Marsha (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}) came back to her best to deny Wesley Ward's runner in the final stride in a dramatic finale to Thursday's G1 Coolmore Nunthorpe S. at York. Once considered the best of her type in Britain before three consecutive defeats took some shine off, the 8-1 shot had things in her favour here and after disposing of her immediate neighbours towards the stand's rail set off to cut down the lone far-side runner Lady Aurelia. Behind that 10-11 market-leader just before and after the line, as the photo was taken her nose was inches ahead which surprised Frankie Dettori as he had been celebrating openly on Lady Aurelia. “I wasn't sure I'd won and when I saw Frankie put his arm in the air I was gutted, but despair turned into jubilation,” winning rider Luke Morris said after she had been announced the winner by a nose, with 3 3/4 lengths back to the 50-1 shot Cotai Glory (GB) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}) who was in turn 1 1/2 lengths in front of Battaash in fourth. “Her performance in the [G3] Palace House was exceptional and she had been slightly below-par since but I got an ideal tow into the race and even going down to the start she was on her mettle a bit more and more alive today.”

Friday, York, Britain
COOLMORE NUNTHORPE S.-G1, £350,000, YOR, 8-25, 2yo/up, 5fT, :57.97, gd.
1–MARSHA (IRE), 134, f, 4, by Acclamation (GB)
1st Dam: Marlinka (GB) (SW-Fr), by Marju (Ire)
2nd Dam: Baralinka (Ire), by Barathea (Ire)
3rd Dam: Kalinka (Ire), by Soviet Star
O/B-Elite Racing Club (IRE); T-Sir Mark Prescott; J-Luke Morris. £198,485. Lifetime Record: Hwt. 3yo-Fr at 5-7f, G1SW-Fr & GSP-Ire, 16-7-4-3, $786,389. *1/2 to Judicial (Ire) (Iffraaj {GB}), SP-Eng, $130,789. Werk Nick Rating: A++. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Lady Aurelia, 132, f, 3, Scat Daddy–D' Wildcat Speed, by Forest Wildcat. ($350,000 Ylg '15 KEESEP). O-Stonestreet Stables LLC & Peter Leidel; B-Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings LLC (KY); T-Wesley Ward. £75,250.[bullet ad=”stonestreet-bredraised”][bullet ad=”irt-shell”][bullet ad=”us-bred-ky-bred-keen-grad”]
3–Cotai Glory (GB), 137, h, 5, Exceed and Excel (Aus)–Continua, by Elusive Quality. (75,000gns Ylg '13 TAOCT). O-Kangyu Int Racing (HK) Ltd & F Ma; B-Glebe Stud, J F Dean & Lady Trenchard (GB); T-Charles Hills. £37,660.
Margins: NO, 3 3/4, 1HF. Odds: 8.00, 0.90, 50.00.
Also Ran: Battaash (Ire), Priceless (GB), Profitable (Ire), Final Venture (GB), Alpha Delphini (GB), Goldream (GB), Washington DC (Ire), Take Cover (GB). Scratched: Duke of Firenze (GB). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

Sir Mark Prescott, who was not at York on Friday, had won this in 1996 with Pivotal (GB) who stormed home in similar fashion to deny the trail-blazing Eveningperformance (GB) (Night Shift) in the final stride on the last of his six career starts before going on to sire stardom. He had nurtured Marsha through her early 3-year-old campaign, taking in the Listed Land O'Burns Fillies' S. at Ayr in June and Listed City Walls S. here in early July which she duly won to earn a tilt at the G2 King George S. at Glorious Goodwood later that month. Not disgraced when a close-up fifth in that contest, the bay was three-lengths second to Just Glamorous (Ire) (Arcano {Ire}) in the G3 Prix du Petit Couvert at Chantilly in September before returning there to capture the G1 Prix de l'Abbaye on Arc day. Beating Washington DC (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) by 3/4 of a length on that occasion, she returned with an even better display as she again denied that Ballydoyle runner by a neck under a seven-pound penalty in the G3 Palace House S. at Newmarket May 6.

As the G1 King's Stand S. approached, Marsha was seen as the main rival to Lady Aurelia but was never able to get within striking distance and wound up 3 1/4 lengths behind in third in that June 20 burn-up. Surprisingly turned over by Caspian Prince (Ire) (Dylan Thomas {Ire}) when a short-head second on her next start in The Curragh's G2 Sapphire S. July 15, she was three lengths off Battaash when third on unsuitably testing ground in the most recent renewal of the King George Aug. 4. Although excuses could be made for all three reversals, it was a long time since she had flaunted her considerable ability in the Palace House and Lady Aurelia and Battaash had usurped her in the sprinting celebrity ranks during the summer.

Missing the break but ideally positioned behind Battaash, Marsha was away from Lady Aurelia on the far side but travelling notably strongly on the heels of Shadwell's fast but high-mettled sprinter. Luke Morris took a pull at halfway, which may ultimately have made the difference as she was filled up when Battaash could lead her no longer approaching the furlong pole. Marsha had to go as Lady Aurelia kicked into what appeared to be an unassailable lead soon after but in a pulsating finale managed to snatch the prize literally from under the American's nose.

Marsha is due for a return to Chantilly to defend her G1 Prix de l'Abbaye crown Oct. 1 according to Elite Racing Club's manager Dan Downie. “Coming here, we were happy she was as well as we'd ever had her. She'd never looked better,” he explained. “I didn't know if we'd won, but it's a funny camera angle here. It's fantastic for the club and she's a homebred, too. She'll go for the Prix de l'Abbaye again.” Wesley Ward said of the gallant runner-up, who cruelly emulated Acapulco (Scat Daddy) who was beaten by Mecca's Angel (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) in the 2015 edition, “That's racing. I'm very proud of her and we were millimetres from the win. She is a true champion and ran a brilliant race. Take nothing away from the filly that won and hats off to her.” Frankie said, “I thought I'd won by a neck!” Charlie Hills said of Cotai Glory and Baattash, who was upset before being loaded, “Battaash got caught saddling up and became agitated after that. Cotai Glory has run a big race and was fourth in it last year. There's talk he could go to New Zealand and stand at stud.”

Marsha is the second foal out of the Listed Prix des Reves d'Or winner Marlinka, who in turn was the best produce of Baralinka who also sported these silks. The latter is half-sister to the syndicate's dream-come-true, the European champion Soviet Song (Ire) (Marju {Ire}) who captured five group 1 races including the Sussex S. Her half-siblings Sister Act (GB) (Marju {Ire}) and Kazatzka (GB) (Groom Dancer) went on to produce the G1 Prix Jean Romanet and G2 Blandford S. heroine Ribbons (GB) (Manduro {Ger}) and the G3 Pinnacle S. scorer Miss Marjurie (Ire) (Marju {Ire}) respectively. Marlinka also has a 2-year-old colt by Cape Cross (Ire) named Magistrate (Ire) and a yearling filly by Iffraaj (GB).