Indian Pride to Test Graded Waters in Raven Run Stakes

Brereton Jones' homebred Indian Pride will take the big step from maiden winner to graded company in just her second start Oct. 19 in the $250,000 Lexus Raven Run Stakes (G2) at Keeneland.

A product of nearby Airdrie Stud stallion Proud Citizen and Ms. Cornstalk, Indian Pride is getting the chance as a 3-year-old to showcase her talent.

"It has been a long process," said Bret Jones, son of the former Kentucky governor who owns Airdrie. "She was very precocious last year as a 2-year-old, and then she got very sick on us. We sent her to the Mid-Atlantic Equine Medical Center (in New Jersey) and they did a great job with her getting her back to 100% and then sent her back here to Hagyard (Equine Medical Institute) and then to the farm."

Indian Pride is a half sister to Canadian champions Biofuel and Tu Endie Wei. Those two also won their debuts and were grade 3 winners.

"Biofuel is Ms. Cornstalk's first foal," Jones said of the filly, who earned Canada's 2010 Sovereign Award as Horse of the Year. "Tu Endie Wei (Canada's 2011 champion 2-year-old filly and favored in the grade 1 Darley Alcibiades Stakes in her third start) began her career by winning a stakes race.

"The family has been good to Dad for a long time."

Indian Pride showed she was worth the wait when she rolled to an eight-length victory in a six-furlong maiden race Aug. 28 at Saratoga Race Course.

"We flew up for the race," Jones said. "When she went back into training, she showed the same precociousness that she had shown at 2."

Jones said the decision to make the jump to the Raven Run was made by trainer Chad Brown.

"We have learned to let the people that are around the horses all the time to make those decisions, and he wants to take a shot," Jones said.

Airdrie and the Joneses also will be represented in the Lexus Raven Run by Istan Council. Fourth in the Sept. 21 Dogwood Stakes at Churchill Downs in her most recent start, Istan Council is trained by Larry Jones.

First Row Partners' Royal Charlotte, the other Brown runner in the race, will look to build on her consistent year. The Cairo Prince  filly has won five of six starts, all between six and seven furlongs. She debuted in March and won her first four outings, topped by a four-length victory in the Victory Ride Stakes (G3) at Belmont Park. After tiring to sixth in the Longines Test Stakes (G1) at Saratoga, she returned at the Spa in the Aug. 31 Prioress Stakes (G2) to snap Break Even's undefeated streak.

Tyler Gaffalione will ride Royal Charlotte from the rail, and John Velazquez will be aboard Indian Pride from post 3.

The field also includes Horologist, a winner of four straight races topped by the Monmouth Oaks (G3) and a last-out third in the Cotillion Stakes (G1); Oxy Lady, the Tempted Stakes (G3) winner who is making her first start since April; and Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots stakes winners Bell's the One and Needs Supervision.

Restless Rider, one of the program favorites at odds of 4-1, was scratched due to a minor foot issue, according to trainer Kenny McPeek.

Entries: Lexus Raven Run S. (G2)

Keeneland, Saturday, October 19, 2019, Race 9

• Grade II
• 7f
• Dirt
• $250,000
• 3 yo Fillies
• 5:30 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Royal Charlotte (KY)	Tyler Gaffalione	120	Chad C. Brown	3/1
2	2Bell's the One (KY)	Corey J. Lanerie	118	Neil L. Pessin	12/1
3	3Indian Pride (KY)	John R. Velazquez	118	Chad C. Brown	7/2
4	4Oxy Lady (KY)	Declan Cannon	118	Jack Sisterson	30/1
5	5Free Cover (KY)	Gabriel Saez	118	W. Bret Calhoun	30/1
6	6Restless Rider (KY)	Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr.	118	Kenneth G. McPeek	4/1
7	7Istan Council (KY)	Chantal Sutherland	118	J. Larry Jones	12/1
8	8First Star (FL)	Drayden Van Dyke	118	Ronald W. Ellis	6/1
9	9Horologist (NJ)	Joe Bravo	118	Richard Baltas	5/1
10	10Needs Supervision (KY)	Feargal Lynch	118	Jeremiah O'Dwyer	30/1
11	11Irish Mischief (KY)	Mike E. Smith	118	Brad H. Cox	12/1