Dale Ladner's Alva Starr, runaway winner of the Prioress (G2) at Saratoga in her most recent start, headlines a field of nine 3-year-old fillies entered for the 25th running of the $350,000 Lexus Raven Run (G2) to be contested Saturday at Keeneland.
A winner of three of five races for trainer and co-breeder Brett Brinkman, Alva Starr made her graded stakes debut in the six-furlong Prioress and led all the way in posting an 8¾-length victory. Tyler Gaffalione has the mount on Alva Starr for the seven-furlong Raven Run and will exit post position 7.
Ladner and trainer and co-breeder Brett Brinkman have been down this road before.
Two years ago, they came to Keeneland for the Raven Run with a filly they co-bred named Cilla, who had just posted a breakthrough Grade 2 victory in the Prioress.
Alva Starr, like her half-sister Cilla, comes in for the Raven Run off victory in the Prioress.
“Alva Starr is faster than Cilla,” said Brinkman, who trained both fillies for Ladner. “They are a little bit different in disposition in that Alva Starr can be a little standoffish.”
Cilla was making her 11th career start when she finished third in the Raven Run. Alva Starr will be making only her sixth start Saturday.
“She won her first start last year at Delaware Park, and I brought her here for a stakes and was not happy with how she was doing,” Brinkman said. “So I scratched her and backed off her, and it has worked out well. You can tell a big difference in her maturity.”
On Sunday morning, Alva Starr put in her final work for the Raven Run with a half-mile breeze in :49 with Gaffalione up.
“I was looking for an easy :48 or :49 and let Tyler get a feel for her,” Brinkman said. “Nothing like last week (a 5-furlong breeze in :58).”
This is not the first time a Gaffalione has ridden for Brinkman.
“Tyler's dad (Steve) rode for me at Calder when I first got my trainer's license,” Brinkman said.
Alva Starr's dam is Sittin At the Bar, who also has produced stakes winners Club Car and Jack the Umpire, the latter of whom began his career with Ladner and Brinkman.
“Dale names most of the horses,” Brinkman said. “Jack the Umpire was named after an uncle of his who was a high school baseball umpire.”
And Alva Starr?
“They filmed the movie 'This Property Is Condemned' (in 1966) in his hometown of Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, and the high school kids got to hang out with the actors,” Brinkman said. “Alva Starr's character was played by Natalie Wood.”
Also in the field for the Lexus Raven Run are recent Grade 3 winners Lady Radler and Vahva.
Mellow Patch Inc.'s Lady Radler posted a 23-1 upset in the seven-furlong Dogwood (G3) at Churchill Downs on Sept. 23 for trainer Michael Campbell. Jesus Castanon has the mount for the Lexus Raven Run and will break from post position 8.
Belladonna Racing, Edward Hudson Jr., West Point Thoroughbreds, Nice Guys Stables and Twin Brook Stables' Vahva won the seven-furlong Charles Town Oaks (G3) as the favorite in her most recent start for trainer Cherie DeVaux. Vahva will be ridden by John Velazquez and break from post position 4.
The field for the Lexus Raven Run, with riders and weights from the rail out, is: Lily Poo (Gerardo Corrales, 118 pounds), Simply Stated (Luis Saez, 118), Nom de Plume (Flavien Prat, 118), Vahva (Velazquez, 118), Apple Picker (Sheldon Russell, 118), Dazzling Blue (Florent Geroux, 118), Alva Starr (Gaffalione, 120), Lady Radler (Castanon, 118), Ancient Peace (Ricardo Santana Jr., 118).
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