Tag: Racing

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).

The post Alva Starr Seeks Second Straight Graded Win In Raven Run appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Coastal Mission denied stablemate Muad'dib a third consecutive Sam Huff West Virginia Breeders' Classic win on Saturday night when cruising wire to wire en route to a comfortable 5 3/4-length triumph in the $300,000 race for 3-year-olds and older at Charles Town Races.

The Great Notion gelding took charge into the first turn under Arnaldo Bocachica and led 129-1 shot Tyry Tyrannosaurus by a length through the first half mile while Muad'dib rated in seventh. Coastal Mission extended his advantage on the far turn and opened up by 8 1/2 lengths in early stretch before coasting across the finish line for a six straight victory.

West Virginia's reigning horse of the year, Muad'dib, who took the back-to-back editions of the race in 2021 and 2022, unleashed his rally entering the far turn and advanced to third but could not get close enough to challenge Coast Mission and settled for second. Late in the Game finished another length back in third.

Sent off the 1-5 favorite in the field of 10 West Virginia-breds, Coastal Mission returned $2.40 for the win after finishing the 1 1/8 miles in 1:53.40 on a sloppy (sealed) track.

Trained by Jeff Runco, who bred and campaigns the gray/roan gelding with his wife, Susan, in the name of Coleswood Farm Inc., Coastal Mission notched his eighth win from nine start this year while scoring his third stakes of the season, all at Charles Town. His only off-the-board finish came at Laurel Park March 18 when he was fifth in the Not For Love Stakes.

Overall, Coastal Mission has won or placed in 15 of 16 career starts, his career line standing at 11-3-1. The $141,075 winner's share of purse increased his lifetime earnings to $572,728.

Coastal Mission was produced by the Crowd Pleaser mare Smart Crowd, the dam of Maryland-bred stakes winner and $535,264-earner Lewisfield, who was twice graded-placed.

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Millie Girl, under Rafael Hernandez, rallied late to take the $150,000 Ontario Matron (G3) for fillies and mares Saturday at Woodbine Racetrack.

Millie Girl is trained by Catherine Day Phillips, who also co-owns (through her Kingfield Racing Stable, Ltd.) with Braconcrest Inc. and Apricot Valley Thoroughbreds.

The Ontario Matron marked the fourth win and first stakes win for the 5-year-old Hard Spun mare after finishing third in both the Royal North Stakes (G2) and the Nassau Stakes (G2) and second in last month's Seaway Stakes (G3).

Darley's Kentucky-based Hard Spun also is the sire of Spun Glass, who one race later on the card captured the Ontario Fashion (G3) for a back-to-back graded stakes double for the stallion, who stands at Jonabell Farm in Lexington.

From post 8 in the 1 1/16-mile race on the Tapeta main track, Millie Girl broke in the center of the field. With Angelou in the lead, the field reached the opening quarter in :24.53.

Angelou continued to lead with Tamarama (GB) following closely behind with Souper Hoity Toity and Il Malocchio battling for third. The field made it to the half in :48.87. Millie Girl was third last.

Millie Girl started to make ground around the turn, moving up to fourth behind Angelo in first, Mouffy in second, and Il Malocchio in third. Down the stretch, Millie Girl flew past the leaders on the outside, winning by a head. Angelou was second, Il Malochio third, and Mouffy fourth.

The final time was 1:35.75.

“I thought when she got into the clear she would run them down but they weren't coming back to her very quickly and I thought uh-oh, we might be in trouble here but she still found a way to get there,” said Day Philips, who never lost confidence in the mare.

“She's run very hard, we've always believed in her so much and really felt that she deserved to be a stakes winner, and a graded stakes winner now. I'm very happy for her.”

Millie Girl, who was bred in Ontario by Sean Fitzhenry from the Smart Strike mare Mendocino Beano, paid 10.70 to win.

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In an exciting 27-1 upset, Spun Glass came from off the pace to win the $150,000 Ontario Fashion Stakes (G3) for fillies and mares Saturday at Woodbine.

Spun Glass, trained by Michael Trombetta for owner-breeder Larry Johnson, achieved her seventh win and first graded stakes win. She was returning to Woodbine for the first time since winning an allowance race there in October 2020.

Spun Glass is a a 6-year-old Maryland-bred mare by Hard Spun, Darley's Kentucky-based stallion who also sired Millie Girl, winner of the Ontario Matron (G3) one race earlier on the card for a back-to-back graded stakes double.

After an even break, Hard Edge lead the field with Loyalty in second, and Hazelbrook in third, the quarter was reached in :22.54. Spun Glass, with Luis Contreras aboard, was second last in the field of nine.

Spun Glass took the turn from the inside, making her way into fifth. The time at the half was :44.24. Loyalty was first, followed closely by Hazelbrook in second, Ready To Venture (GB) in third and Hard Edge in fourth.

In the stretch, Spun Glass came through the center of the field to win. Awesome Treat was second, Loyalty third, and Hazelbrook fourth.

“She broke really good so I just let he go at whatever speed she was comfortable,” said Contreras, who was aboard the mare for first time. “Once I was in the post parade, I got a good feeling of her and just went from there.”

Vamtarsi and Time for an Angel were stewards scratches.

Spun Glass, who was produced by the Songandaprayer mare Allwewantforxmas, paid $57.20 to win.

The post Spun Glass Pulls 27-1 Surprise In Ontario Fashion, Caps Woodbine Graded Double For Hard Spun appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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