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Sconsin, Bell’s The One Among Salty Cast For Saturday’s Roxelana Stakes

Lloyd Madison Farm's multiple graded stakes winning filly Sconsin headlines a field of six fillies and mares that were entered in Saturday's $110,000 Roxelana Overnight Stakes at Churchill Downs.

The 6 ½-furlong Roxelana will go as Race 10 of 11 with a post time of 5:26 p.m. (all times Eastern). First post is 12:45 p.m.

Sconsin, a 4-year-old homebred daughter of Include, won the $150,000 Winning Colors (Grade 3) four weeks ago beneath the Twin Spires. The Greg Foley-trainee finished second behind Gamine in the $500,000 Derby City Distaff (G1) on the undercard of the Kentucky Derby. Overall, Sconsin sports a stout record of 12-4-3-1 with purse earnings of $546,512.

Current Churchill Downs leading rider Tyler Gaffalione has the return mount and will break from post No. 5.

Also entered in the Roxelana is Lothenbach Stables 2020 Derby City Distaff (G1) winner Bell's the One. Trained by Neil Pessin, Bell's the One is searching for her first victory in her 5-year-old campaign. She finished second behind Kimari in the $300,000 Madison (G1) in early April and fourth in this year's Derby City Distaff.

Corey Lanerie has the mount from post 4.

Another accomplished mare that was entered in the Roxelana is Whitham Thoroughbreds' multiple Grade 3 winner Four Graces. Trained by Ian Wilkes, Four Graces recorded four victories through seven starts as a 3-year-old. The now 4-year-old daughter of Majesticperfection will make her seasonal debut from post 3 with Julien Leparoux in the saddle. Four Graces defeated Sconsin by 4 ¾ lengths in last year's $100,000 Beaumont (G3) at Keeneland.

The complete field for the Roxelana from the rail out (with jockey and trainer):

Shesomajestic (Joe Talamo, Michelle Nihei)
Miss Mosaic (Colby Hernandez, Ben Colebrook)
Four Graces (Leparoux, Wilkes)
Bell's the One (Lanerie, Pessin)
Sconsin (Gaffalione, Foley)
Jungle Juice (IRE) (Adam Beschizza, Anna Meah)

Wagering is available online at www.TwinSpires.com, the official ADW of Churchill Downs Incorporated.

Fans can catch the Roxelana, along with the entire 11-race program, on “America's Day at the Races.” The action is scheduled to begin at 12:30 p.m. on Fox Sports 2.

Tickets are available for Saturday at Churchill Downs on www.churchilldowns.com/tickets. Admission gates are scheduled to open at 11:30 a.m. and “Churchill Downs Today” will air at 11:45 a.m. throughout the facility and on www.TwinSpires.com.

The post Sconsin, Bell’s The One Among Salty Cast For Saturday’s Roxelana Stakes appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Saying ‘Grace’ In the Raven Run

A competitive group of 10 sophomore fillies line up in Saturday’s GII Lexus Raven Run S. at Keeneland. Among the expected favorites for the seven-furlong test is Whitham Thoroughbreds’ Four Graces (Majesticperfection). Trained by Ian Wilkes, the homebred has won four of five starts at the Raven Run distance, including Churchill’s GIII Dogwood S. in June followed by the GIII Beaumont S. over the local Beard Course July 10. Given some time off following that effort, she speed-loving filly weakened late to be second behind Sconsin (Include) in the Sept. 4 GII Eight Belles S. and most recently posted a bullet five-furlong move at Churchill in :59.20 at Oct. 8. Julien Leparoux, who has been in the saddle for all five on-the-board finishes, gets the call.

Also likely to join Four Graces on the front end early is Ciaglia Racing, Highland Yard, River Oak Farm and Dominic Savides’s Venetian Harbor (Munnings). A runaway winner of the GII Las Virgenes S. at Santa Anita in February, the Colts Neck Stables-bred filly finished behind Swiss Skydiver (Daredevil) in the May 1 GIII Fantasy S. and played the bridesmaid again, this time behind Speech (Mr Speaker) in the July 11 GI Central Bank Ashland S. at Keeneland. In her most recent trip to the post, she found the talented Gamine (Into Mischief) seven lengths too tough in Saratoga’s GI Test S. Aug. 8.

“We are just trying to win a race; that’s the first thing,” said trainer Richard Baltas. “If she runs well and bounces out of the race OK, we will eye the [GI] Breeders’ Cup [Filly and Mare Sprint].”

Manny Franco has the mount on Venetian Harbor and will break from post position five.

Looking to regain some of her earlier form is Slam Dunk Racing, Doug Branham and Legacy Ranch’s Tonalist’s Shape (Tonalist), who began her career with five consecutive victories in one-turn races for trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. The chestnut took six of seven starts in South Florida from September through May, including this winter’s GIII Forward Gal S. followed by the GII Davona Dale S. Off the board in the Mar. 28 GII Gulfstream Park Oaks, she bounced back to win the May 15 Hollywood Wildcat S. before finishing fourth in the nine-furlong GI Coaching Club American Oaks at Saratoga July 18. Most recently, Tonalist’s Shape was a troubled fifth in the GIII Charles Town Oaks Aug. 28.

“[The CT Oaks] was two turns and she did have trouble in that race,” Joseph said, referring to Tonalist’s Shape being checked approaching the sixteenth pole.”

He added, “There are no plans for her beyond this race. I am just curious to see how she would do back around one turn and hoping she will come back to her [good] form.”

Since the Charles Town Oaks, Tonalist’s Shape has worked twice at Gulfstream–a best-of-78 half-mile in :47.03 Sept. 27 and a best-of-seven 5/8ths in 1:00.62 Oct. 1.

“The two weeks between works was by design to keep her fresh,” Joseph explained.

The 3-year-old has been entered as a racing or broodmare prospect in Keeneland’s upcoming November Breeding Stock Sale and is catalogued as hip 155 in Book 1.

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Raven Run Could Be Springboard To Breeders’ Cup For Venetian Harbor

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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Sconsin Runs Down Favorite Four Graces In Eight Belles

Lloyd Madison Farms IV's homebred Sconsin overhauled favored Four Graces at the eighth pole to win the 65th running of the $300,000 Eight Belles Presented by TwinSpires.com (GII) for 3-year-old fillies by 2 ¼ lengths.

Trained by Greg Foley and ridden by James Graham, Sconsin covered the seven furlongs on a fast main track in 1:21.30.

“When this race came up on paper we sort of thought the pace scenario could work in our favor,” Foley said. “This filly was very impressive at Keeneland against Four Graces. She got a great ride by James (Graham) and cruised home. It's very exciting winning with a filly like this on such a big stage as the Kentucky Oaks. Hopefully we can do it again tomorrow with Major Fed in the Derby.”

Mundaye Call and Four Graces dueled through early fractions of :22.11 and :44.14 as Sconsin trailed in the field five. On the far turn, Sconsin began to pick off horses, drew even with Four Graces at midstretch and drew off for the victory.

Sconsin, a Kentucky-bred daughter of Include out of the Tiznow mare Sconnie, earned $186,000 with the victory to increase her bankroll to $301,512 with a record of 8-3-2-1.

“She ran huge. She likes this racetrack evidently,” Graham said. “They ran fast in front of her and she picked them off. Can't ask for any more than that. The two favorites are speed horses, so all you can hope is that they hook up and kill each other off. My filly was just happier today. Those two had pace pressure and we just finished them off.”

Sconsin returned $16.40, $3.60 and $2.40. Four Graces, ridden by Julien Leparoux, returned $2.60 and $2.10 and finished 1 ¾

lengths in front of Never Forget who paid $3.80 to show under Javier Castellano.

It was another length back to Mundaye Call who was followed by Extra Effort.

Julien Leparoux (rider, Four Graces, second) – “She ran a good race. We had speed, the other one had speed. She was maybe a little fresh but other than that, I tried to rate her but she was taking the bit. She ran a good race though.”

Ian Wilkes (trainer, Four Graces, second) — “The filly was a little fresh today, but let's not take anything away from the winner. The winner ran her race, she ran her race. That filly's been knocking on the door. Every race, she runs her race and she's right there. It looked like it was going to be the two of us (favorites) going out front and hope we didn't set it up. But the other filly ran good. I'm proud of my horse, she didn't quit. My filly runs her race. I've got to let her run her race. I freshened her up, I backed off her. I don't want to make excuses today. My filly ran good.”

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