Ciaglia Racing, Highland Yard, River Oak Farm and Dominic Savides' Venetian Harbor headlines a deep field of 10 3-year-old fillies entered Wednesday for Saturday's 22nd running of the $200,000 Lexus Raven Run (G2) at Keeneland in Lexington, Ky.
Run at seven furlongs on the main track, the Raven Run will go as the ninth race on Saturday's 10-race program with a 5:30 p.m. ET post time. First post Saturday is 1:05 p.m.
Trained by Richard Baltas, Venetian Harbor will be making her first start since finishing second to Gamine in the seven-furlong Test (G1) at Saratoga on Aug. 8. Prior to that, she had finished second to Speech in the Central Bank Ashland (G1) at Keeneland and to Swiss Skydiver in the Fantasy (G3) at Oaklawn Park with both those races being two-turn tests going 1 1/16 miles.
“We are just trying to win a race; that's the first thing,” Baltas said Wednesday morning from California. “If she runs well and bounces out of the race OK we will eye the Breeders' Cup (Filly & Mare Sprint-G1).”
Manny Franco has the mount on Venetian Harbor and will break from post position five.
Among those lining up to face Venetian Harbor are two runners with graded stakes success going seven furlongs.
Whitham Thoroughbreds' Four Graces won the Beaumont (G3) at Keeneland in July going seven furlongs and 184 feet over the Beard Course in a track record 1:24.90.
Trained by Ian Wilkes, Four Graces also won the Dogwood (G3) at Churchill Downs, where she finished second in her most recent start in the Eight Belles (G2). Julien Leparoux has the mount and will break from post position two.
Slam Dunk Racing, Doug Branham and Legacy Ranch's Tonalist's Shape won the Forward Gal (G3) going seven furlongs and the Davona Dale (G2) going a mile this winter at Gulfstream Park. Trained by Saffie Joseph Jr., Tonalist's Shape exits a troubled fifth in the Charles Town Oaks (G3) going 7 furlongs in her most recent start.
Rafael Bejarano has the mount on Tonalist's Shape, who will break from post position seven.
The field for the Lexus Raven Run, with riders and weights from the rail, is: Never Forget (Robby Albarado, 118 pounds), Four Graces (Leparoux, 120), Secondary Market (Tyler Gaffalione, 118), Finite (Ricardo Santana Jr., 120), Venetian Harbor (Franco, 120), Reagan's Edge (Florent Geroux, 118), Tonalist's Shape (Bejarano, 120), Fair Maiden (Corey Lanerie, 118), Grand Cru Classe (Martin Garcia, 118) and Secret Keeper (Brian Hernandez Jr., 118).
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