Alva Starr will need to relax stretching out in Raven Run

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Alva Starr emulated her half-sister when winning the Grade 2 Prioress Stakes in New York in her most recent start for owner P. Dale Ladner and trainer Brett Brinkman, who also co-bred the filly. She’ll attempt to do her big sister one better when she runs in Saturday’s Grade 2, $350,000 Raven Run Stakes at Keeneland for 3-year-old fillies going seven furlongs.

Alva Starr is a half-sister to Cilla, both being out of Sittin At the Bar, a Louisiana-bred who Ladner purchased as a yearling. Sittin At the Bar went on to win nine stakes in her home state for the connections and is now the dam of four stakes winners. Louisiana-bred Cilla, by California Chrome, earned more than $500,000 with wins in five stakes. She followed her 2021 Prioress win with a third in the Raven Run, beaten just more than two lengths.

Kentucky-bred Alva Starr, by Lord Nelson, was a debut winner in September 2022 at Brinkman’s Delaware base. He shipped her to Keeneland to train, but elected not to push on to stakes company that fall.

“I brought her here for a stakes and was not happy with how she was doing,” Brinkman told Keeneland this week. “So I scratched her and backed off her, and it has worked out well. You can tell a big difference in her maturity.”

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After returning to the races with a pair of solid runner-up efforts, Alva Starr won the Dashing Beauty Stakes in July at Delaware before heading to Saratoga for the Prioress on Sept. 2. She dueled through blistering early splits of 21.73 seconds for the quarter and 44.64 for the half before drawing clear by 8 3/4 lengths, finishing the six furlongs in 1:09.14.

“Cilla was a much rangier, scopier mare than this filly, and she was a lot more accommodating,” Brinkman said. “This filly here is kind of one of those that’s in your face and is just bold about stuff.”

Alva Starr showed her boldness with a bullet five-furlong work at Keeneland earlier this month, going in 58 seconds flat. She relaxed for a maintenance four furlongs in 49 seconds on Oct. 15. The ability to find some relaxation will be key as she moves beyond six furlongs for the first time in a race that has plenty of other speed. Dazzling Blue, second to Maple Leaf Mel in the Grade 3 Victory Ride and third in the Prioress, and Ancient Peace, cutting back after finishing third in the Grade 3 Remington Park Oaks, should be on the engine, along with Simply States and Apple Picker.

Vahva is coming off a breakthrough win in the Grade 3 Charles Town Oaks going seven furlongs Aug. 25. She relaxed beautifully and quietly in third behind the leaders before going on to win by 1 1/4 lengths. Training with Cherie DeVaux’s Keeneland string since then, a similar trip for Vahva would put her in good stead in the Raven Run.

Nom de Plume, making her stakes debut after winning two of her first three starts, will be looking for a similar trip in the vanguard with Vahva.

A hot pace would benefit Lady Radler, who swept from fourth to win Grade 3 Dogwood going away at seven furlongs last month at Churchill Downs.

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