Keeneland guide: Full fillies field features in Raven Run
Since there is no such thing as the Breeders’ Cup Oaks, and since seven furlongs might be a better distance right now for a good many 3-year-old fillies, the Raven Run Stakes should suffice.
Route-running Distaff candidates Nitrogen, Clicquot and Good Cheer will not be at Keeneland, but Saturday’s Grade 2, $400,000 race still drew a full, competitive field of 12 plus three also-eligibles.
Click here for Keeneland entries and results.
If not for a neck loss to Kilwin in the Test (G1) at Saratoga this summer, Ragtime would have a 4-for-4 record. As it stands, Godolphin’s homebred Union Rags filly has the Kentucky Derby-winning connections of trainer Bill Mott and jockey Júnior Alvarado. Ragtime also has a 2 1/4-length win to her credit closing on the hot pace in the Dogwood (G3) at Churchill Downs.
Ragtime is a 3-1 morning-line favorite with two of her rivals Saturday also shorter than 5-1. Quietside, who has been on John Ortiz’s bench since her sixth-place result in the Kentucky Oaks (G1), carries 4-1 odds as a two-time graded-stakes winner this year on fast tracks. Usha, who is 9-2, ships to Keeneland for trainer Bob Baffert off maiden and allowance wins this summer at Del Mar.
The Raven Run and the seven-furlong, $350,000 Perryville (G3), which drew six colts led by Captain Cook and Barnes, are the two graded stakes on Saturday’s card at Keeneland. The Raven Run is the ninth of 10 races on the card, and it has a post time of 5:16 p.m. EDT. Live coverage of Keeneland is on FanDuel TV and streaming at the Keeneland website.
Free past performances for Saturday’s major stakes are courtesy of Brisnet.
Here are the lifetime top speed figures for the Raven Run entrants.
| Raven Run (G2) | Beyer* | TFUS* | Brisnet | HRN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Delightful Claire | 95 | 122 | 98 | 125 |
| 2. Vixen - scr | 83 | 108 | 93 | 117 |
| 3. Strong State - scr | 82 | 108 | 96 | 114 |
| 4. Volleyballprincess - cr | 79 | 109 | 98 | 125 |
| 5. Om N Joy | 84 | 104 | 93 | 112 |
| 6. Reputation - scr | 84 | 108 | 95 | 119 |
| 7. Maida | 89 | 120 | 99 | 131 |
| 8. Usha | 95 | 114 | 100 | 124 |
| 9. Ragtime | 96 | 111 | 99 | 121 |
| 10. Simply Joking | 90 | 111 | 96 | 124 |
| 11. Quietside | 91 | 112 | 94 | 113 |
| 12. Vodka With a Twist | 92 | 113 | 94 | 123 |
| 13. Kappa Kappa (ae) | 90 | 98 | 94 | 131 |
| 14. Taliesin (ae) | 85 | 108 | 98 | 129 |
| 15. Tetiaroa (ae) | 81 | 106 | 90 | 110 |
*Beyer and TimeformUS speed figures are courtesy of Daily Racing Form.
HRN handicappers
Ashley Tamulonis and Laurie Ross differ on whether Ragtime will come through as the favorite in the Raven Run. Their Head to Head analysis features each of them going in depth on every horse entered in the race.
Ed DeRosa says the toteboard will dictate the best way to play the Perryville. He explains in his fair-odds analysis.
DeRosa offers tips for both the Raven Run and the Perryville plus his strategy for handicapping international horses in the upcoming Breeders’ Cup. He is on the Ron Flatter Racing Pod. This week’s episode also features Kate Hunter in Japan, who goes over the nine horses going to Del Mar on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1. England turf writer Maddy Playle of Racing Post analyzes Saturday’s British Champions day card at Ascot with an eye on the Breeders’ Cup. Hear the RFRP here.
Mike Shutty’s Super Screener zeroes in on four stakes races Saturday, including the Lure at Santa Anita. Shutty sees an 8-1 morning-line price as carrying the top-win and top-value designations for the race.
Pre-order your Breeders’ Cup Super Screener before it comes out Monday, and get the preps free now.