Alva Starr-Vahva rivalry at center of competitive Derby City Distaff

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – A half-length has separated Vahva and Alva Starr both times they’ve met. Vahva finished on top in last October’s Raven Run. Alva Starr flipped the script in last month’s Grade 1 Madison.

Round 3 in this budding rivalry comes Saturday in the Grade 1, $1 million Derby City Distaff at Churchill Downs going seven furlongs.

Alva Starr hadn’t won at seven furlongs until she beat Vahva in the Madison. A front-running sort most of her career, Alva Starr sat slightly off the pace under Tyler Gaffalione in the Madison.

“We always felt like she would rate, she never got the opportunity to prove it to the public until then,” trainer Brett Brinkman said. “I think Tyler exhibited a lot of confidence in her. We gave him no instructions, he took the initiative and did what typically good riders do.”

Brinkman said he was not initially pointing Alva Starr to the Derby City Distaff. He said the filly trained too well to leave her in the barn.

“I can’t make up an excuse not to go over there, she’s doing that well,” Brinkman said. “It wasn’t me hunting to run her. I probably need to run her.”

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Alva Starr breaks from post 7 under Gaffalione.

In the Madison, Vahva was making her first start in five months. Irad Ortiz Jr. was riding her for the first time and might not have timed his move right.

“He might have waited a little too long to make his run,” trainer Cherie DeVaux said. “She’s one of those horses you might think she’s going to kick, but it takes her a little bit to get going. She came out of that race in really good order.”

Ortiz will be back aboard from the outside in this 10-horse field.

Red Carpet Ready finished third in the Madison after pressing the pace, a style dictated to her due to her rail draw. In the Derby City, Red Carpet Ready is drawn in post 9 and returns to a track over which she has gone 3 for 3, including a head victory in the Grade 2 Eight Belles Stakes here last year.

“She broke running out of the one-hole and once you’re there you’re halfway committed to go ahead and do something,” trainer Rusty Arnold said. “Obviously, she did a little too much. With the outside draw, it’s not going to happen. She’s doing really well, she’ll have no excuses.”

Three Witches, third to Goodnight Olive in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint for trainer Saffie Joseph Jr., won the Grade 2 Santa Monica on Feb. 3 at Santa Anita. That was her first start after being purchased for $1.7 million by Zhang Yuesheng at the Keeneland November sale and turned over to Michael McCarthy.

Following the Santa Monica, Three Witches was being pointed to the Madison but developed a fever and missed nine days of training, according to McCarthy. She got back on the work tab in time to get in four workouts leading to the Derby City Distaff. Three Witches breaks from the rail under Flavien Prat.

“Hoping to bounce out of there swiftly and find ourselves in a good spot,” McCarthy said. “I was certainly disappointed to miss the Madison, she was training wonderfully and has come back and trained well.”

Olivia Darling, trained by Jorge Delgado, won the Grade 2 Inside Information before finishing second to Red Carpet Ready in the Grade 3 Hurricane Bertie, both at Gulfstream Park. The speedy filly will have John Velazquez from post 2.

Flying Connection cuts back to one turn after several big efforts around two turns, including a runner-up finish to Adare Manor in the Grade 1 Apple Blossom at 1 1/16 miles. Trainer Todd Fincher hasn’t raced her one turn since early in 2023, when she finished third in a stakes at Sunland Park.

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alSterling Silver, fourth in the Madison, will make her first start for trainer Lance Rutledge after her previous trainer, Tom Albertrani, retired last month.

Completing the field are Chi Town Lady, the 2022 Test winner; Spirit Wind, winner of the Grade 3 Sugar Swirl; and American Band, a winner of three straight at Oaklawn Park.

The Derby City Distaff goes as race 6 (1:14 p.m. Eastern) on the 14-race program.

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