Cilla Takes Show on Road to Keeneland for Raven Run

In going 11-for-19 in 2012-14, Sittin At the Bar  was almost unstoppable in Louisiana, the state of her birth, but she never finished better than fifth in four starts elsewhere. But her Louisiana-foaled 3-year-old daughter, P. Dale Ladner's Cilla , is a full-fledged road warrior, a winner in open company in Delaware, New Jersey, and New York.

Now she aims to add another state, Kentucky, to her conquests, leading a field of 13 in the $250,000 Lexus Raven Run Stakes (G2) at Keeneland Oct. 23. The seven-furlong race, scheduled for 5:15 p.m. ET, is one of two stakes on the Saturday card, the other being the $150,000, seven-furlong Perryville Stakes for 3-year-olds that goes off just over an hour earlier.

The first black-type winner for her sire, two-time Horse of the Year California Chrome  , Cilla is riding a three-race win streak. She captured the Louisiana Legends Mademoiselle Stakes at Evangeline Downs June 5, the Blue Sparkler Stakes at Monmouth Park July 10, and the Prioress Stakes (G2) at Saratoga Race Course Sept. 4. In the latter race, she defeated Live Oak Plantation's Souper Sensational , who also returns in the Raven Run.

Her summer results coincided with her maturing more with age than her mother did, said Brett Brinkman, who trains and co-bred Cilla with Ladner. Brinkman also conditioned Sittin At the Bar for Ladner.

"With her daughter, she seems to be making those maturity steps a lot more timely and a lot better," he said. "Back in the summer, she looked like a 2-year-old turning into a 3-year-old, back early on. Now, she looks like a 3-year-old turning into a 4-year-old. She seems to be making those steps in turn."

Now comes a stretch out from six to seven furlongs. Cilla is winless beyond six furlongs, though she did run a well-beaten third in the one-mile Frizette Stakes (G1) last fall in New York behind Dayoutoftheoffice  and eventual Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) winner and champion 2-year-old filly Vequist .

"I think she can get the distance. Dale's a little more worried about it," Brinkman said. "We just have to see. Her turn of foot is much better than her mother's turn of foot."

Saturday marks her second appearance at Keeneland, where she ran sixth in the Beaumont Stakes Presented by Keeneland Select (G3) in April over the track's Beard Course distance of seven furlongs and 184 feet.

Upon unsaddling, Brinkman said Colby Hernandez, who rode her in the Beaumont, told him that her head floated in midstretch and she quit trying. The race was one of three this year in which she didn't race with Lasix, another of which was the Prioress.

After the Beaumont, "I went to doing things differently with her, prepping her for the spots, and it seems to be working," Brinkman said.

Lasix, a diuretic used to prevent respiratory bleeding in racehorses, is not permitted in stakes races in Kentucky this year amid a phase-out of the race-day medication.

Leading jockey Tyler Gaffalione is back aboard Cilla after riding her at Saratoga.

Other graded stakes winners in the Raven Run include the Mark Casse-trained Souper Sensational, who took the Victory Ride Stakes (G3) at Belmont Park in July, and Juddmonte's Obligatory , who won the Eight Belles Stakes Presented by Smithfield (G2) for trainer Bill Mott at Churchill Downs April 30. The latter filly was second in the 1 1/16-mile Cotillion Stakes (G1) in her last start at Parx Racing Sept. 25.

Caramel Swirl , Zainalarab , and Miss Speedy  are other contenders.

Casse and Live Oak also run one of the favorites in the Perryville in Soup and Sandwich , who makes his first appearance since finishing last of 19 in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) May 1 at Churchill Downs.

The Into Mischief   grey won his first two starts before a runner-up finish to Known Agenda   in the Curlin Florida Derby Presented by Hill' n' Dale Farms at Xalapa (G1) at Gulfstream Park before his distant finish in the Kentucky Derby.

“We targeted this race a few months ago and wanted to bring him back against 3-year-olds,” said Casse.

Roseland Farm Stable's graded stakes-winning Pickin' Time  heads the opposition, along with quick, last-out winners Pipeline , Cool Quest , and Runway Magic . 

Last year at 2, Pickin' Time won the Nashua Stakes (G3) for trainer Kelly Breen. He was recently second beaten 6 3/4 lengths in a swiftly run Gallant Bob Stakes (G2) at Parx behind Jackie's Warrior , one of the early favorites for the Nov. 6 Qatar Racing Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1).

"(Pickin' Time)'s first race back (in the Jersey Derby), the race came off the grass and I thought it would be easier on him, but he was never comfortable and then he got thrown to the wolves (in the Haskell)," said Breen. "Since he went back to sprinting he has a win (in a state-bred stakes at Monmouth) and the nice effort to finish second to Jackie's Warrior.

"I think he can go longer. This is a nice middle-distance race to build his confidence to get him going longer."

Entries: Lexus Raven Run S. (G2)

Keeneland, Saturday, October 23, 2021, Race 9

• Grade II
• 7f
• Dirt
• $250,000
• 3 yo Fillies
• 5:16 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Shalimar Gardens (NY)	Rafael Bejarano	118	Horacio DePaz	20/1
2	2Joy's Rocket (FL)	Julien R. Leparoux	118	Steven M. Asmussen	15/1
3	3Souper Sensational (KY)	Ricardo Santana, Jr.	118	Mark E. Casse	4/1
4	4Minute Waltz (KY)	Martin Garcia	118	Philip A. Bauer	30/1
5	5Strong Silent (KY)	Corey J. Lanerie	118	Dale L. Romans	15/1
6	6Feeling Mischief (KY)	Mitchell Murrill	118	Michael B. Campbell	50/1
7	7Cilla (LA)	Tyler Gaffalione	120	Brett A. Brinkman	8/1
8	8Caramel Swirl (KY)	Junior Alvarado	118	William I. Mott	7/2
9	9Zainalarab (KY)	John R. Velazquez	118	Chad C. Brown	6/1
10	10Someone Said So (KY)	Adam Beschizza	118	Coty W. Rosin	20/1
11	11Miss Speedy (ON)	Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr.	118	Mark E. Casse	6/1
12	12Just Read It (KY)	Gerardo Corrales	118	Raymond Handal	50/1
13	13Obligatory (KY)	Florent Geroux	120	William I. Mott	3/1

Entries: Perryville S.

Keeneland, Saturday, October 23, 2021, Race 7

• STK
• 7f
• Dirt
• $150,000
• 3 yo
• 4:12 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Soup and Sandwich (FL)	Tyler Gaffalione	118	Mark E. Casse	3/1
2	2Boca Boy (FL)	Marcelino Pedroza, Jr.	118	Cheryl Winebaugh	12/1
3	3Ram (KY)	Rafael Bejarano	118	D. Wayne Lukas	15/1
4	4He'smyhoneybadger (KY)	Florent Geroux	118	Brad H. Cox	6/1
5	5Pickin' Time (NJ)	Corey J. Lanerie	120	Kelly J. Breen	7/2
6	6Pipeline (KY)	John R. Velazquez	118	Chad C. Brown	4/1
7	7Irish Unity (KY)	Ricardo Santana, Jr.	118	Steven M. Asmussen	12/1
8	8Cool Quest (FL)	Julien R. Leparoux	118	Brian A. Lynch	4/1
9	9Runway Magic (KY)	Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr.	118	Thomas Drury, Jr.	12/1