Lost Raven Takes Win Streak into Victory Ride

Repole Stable homebred Lost Raven will look to win her third straight stakes July 9 in the $150,000 Victory Ride (gr. III) at Belmont Park, but the Uncle Mo   filly will have to take on an intriguing invader from the West in the 6 1/2-furlong test.

Anthony Fanticola and Joseph Scardino's undefeated and lightly raced Coppa actually garners the 2-1 morning-line favoritism without ever running in a stakes race. The Phil D'Amato-trained daughter of Yesbyjimminy has, however, won her two starts impressively and in front-running fashion.

She was victorious in her debut at Del Mar in November and kicked 2016 off with an allowance win at Santa Anita Park May 21, before being scratched from the Summertime Oaks (gr. II), where she would have gone head-to-head with Songbird. Both starts were at 6 1/2 furlongs and both winning margins were 3 1/4 lengths.

"It’s a step up in competition, but I think she’s up for the challenge," D'Amato said. "She’s been training really well and I almost pulled the trigger to run her against Songbird, but I didn’t want to throw too much at her, going two turns against top competition.

“I want to test my filly and this is a good spot. I wouldn’t be sending her out there if she wasn’t spot-on.”

Lost Raven, trained by Todd Pletcher and at 4-1 on the morning line, showed a different dimension last time out to win the Adena Springs Miss Preakness (gr. III) May 20. Usually close to the pace, she closed from eighth—as many as 13 lengths back—to win her first graded stakes, three-quarters of a length ahead of fellow Victory Ride entrant One True Kiss. Prior to her Miss Preakness score, Lost Raven won the March 26 Cicada Stakes by a neck.

BALAN: Lost Raven Makes the Grade in Miss Preakness

The two favorites are not the only entrants featuring a winning streak. Everything's Cricket Racing's Flatterywillgetyou has won four straight, including her first stakes score last time out May 30 in the Bouwerie for New York-breds at Belmont. The Linda Rice-trained Flatter   filly's only loss came in her debut at Aqueduct Racetrack in December.

Last-out stakes victress Behrnik's Bank, allowance winners Appealing Maggie and Blast, maiden winners Stradivarius and Malibu Stacy, complete the field.