Cilla (yellow cap) rallies past Souper Sensational (red cap) to win the Grade 2 Prioress at Saratoga.
P. Dale Ladner’s Cilla and Live Oak Plantation’s Souper Sensational, who finished a half-length apart in last month’s Prioress (G2) at Saratoga, headline a field of 13 3-year-old fillies entered Wednesday for Saturday’s 23rd running of the $250,000 Lexus Raven Run (G2) going 7 furlongs on the main track at Keeneland.
The Lexus Raven Run is scheduled as the ninth race on Saturday’s 10-race program with a 5:16 p.m. ET post time. First post Saturday is 1 p.m.
Trained by Brett Brinkman, Cilla returned Tuesday afternoon to Keeneland, where she finished sixth as a 62-1 shot in the Beaumont (G3) Presented by Keeneland Select. Since then, the Louisiana-bred daughter of California Chrome has won three consecutive races highlighted by the Prioress victory.
Tyler Gaffalione will have the mount Saturday and break from post position seven.
Souper Sensational, winner of the Victory Ride (G3) at Belmont Park who has placed in three graded stakes, was runner-up in the Grade 1 Test prior to her run in the Prioress. Trained by Mark Casse, Souper Sensational will exit post position three and be ridden by Ricardo Santana Jr.
Another Grade 2 winner in the field is Juddmonte’s homebred Obligatory.
Trained by Bill Mott, Obligatory won the Eight Belles (G2) on April 30 at Churchill Downs going 7 furlongs. Runner-up in the Cotillion (G1) at Parx in her most recent start, Obligatory drew post 13 and will be ridden by Florent Geroux.
The field for the Lexus Raven Run, with riders and weights from the inside, is:
- Shalimar Gardens (Rafael Bejarano, 118 pounds)
- Joy’s Rocket (Julien Leparoux, 118)
- Souper Sensational (Santana Jr., 118)
- Minute Waltz (Martin Garcia, 118)
- Strong Silent (Corey Lanerie, 118)
- Feeling Mischief (Mitchell Murrill, 118)
- Cilla (Gaffalione, 120)
- Caramel Swirl (Junior Alvarado, 118)
- Zainalarab (John Velazquez, 118)
- Someone Said So (Adam Beschizza, 118)
- Miss Speedy (Brian Hernandez Jr., 118)
- Just Read It (Gerardo Corrales, 118)
- Obligatory (Florent Geroux, 120)
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