The featured race at Keeneland on Saturday, October 23, 2021, is the Raven Run Stakes (G2). The race is a seven-furlong sprint for three-year-old fillies. The race offers a $250,000 purse and is one of the last opportunities for three-year-old sprint fillies to face their own age group in a graded race. This year’s edition drew a huge field of thirteen.
Though it is relatively late in the Breeders’ Cup prep season, sometimes its winner goes on to make an impact. In 2018 Shamrock Rose won the Raven Run, wheeled back in two weeks, and captured the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint (G1) as well. It was enough to earn her an Eclipse Award, too!
2021 Raven Run Field
These are the official entrants for the 2021 Raven Run, along with their post positions, trainers, and jockeys:
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Shalimar Gardens (Horacio DePaz/Rafael Bejarano)
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Joy’s Rocket (Steve Asmussen/Julien Leparoux)
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Souper Sensational (Mark Casse/Ricardo Santana, Jr.
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Minute Waltz (Philip Bauer/Martin Garcia)
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Strong Silent (Dale Romans/Corey Lanerie)
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Feeling Mischief (Michael Campbell/Mitchell Murrill)
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Cilla (Brett Brinkman/Tyler Gaffalione)
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Caramel Swirl (Bill Mott/Junior Alvarado)
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Zainalarab (Chad Brown/John Velazquez)
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Someone Said So (Coty Rosin/Adam Beschizza)
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Miss Speedy (Mark Casse/Brian Hernandez, Jr.)
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Just Read It (Ray Handal/Gerardo Correas)
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Obligatory (Bill Mott/Florent Geroux)
As post time draws closer, online sportsbooks will begin to offer odds on the competitors. Keep an eye on the odds that they post, and make sure to get your Raven Run wager in when you see an overlay on a horse you think you can win the race. That way, you can be confident that your experience will be as profitable as possible!
 |  |  | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Souper Sensational | TBA | TBA | TBA |
| Obligatory | TBA | TBA | TBA |
| Caramel Swirl | TBA | TBA | TBA |
| Cilla | TBA | TBA | TBA |
| Zainalarab | TBA | TBA | TBA |
Betting the Raven Run Online
Even if you cannot make it to Lexington to see the Raven Run in person, you can have a great time betting on this race, and many others, from anywhere you have an internet connection. Bet the Raven Run from your computer, tablet, or smartphone by signing up for an account at a trusted online sportsbook.
There are many sportsbooks out there, but fortunately, our expert reviews make it easy for you to choose the right one. We have trusted information about the best online sportsbooks, which can help you figure out which one offers the best features and bonuses for the bets you like to make and the stakes at which you like to play.
Have a fun, safe, and profitable experience betting the Raven Run Stakes online by making an account at one or more of these top online sportsbooks:
Raven Run Contenders
#8 Caramel Swirl tried a two-turn seven furlongs last out in the Charles Town Oaks (G3), but should improve on the turn back to one turn for this. She is one of just two entrants who already has a win at Keeneland and the only one with a seven-furlong win there. With tactical speed and a good post, she has a strong chance.
Mark Casse won this race three years ago with Shamrock Rose and has a live contender with #3 Souper Sensational. She has found her best form this summer, and seven furlongs is a specialist distance that suits her well. She has the tactical speed to carve out a good trip. Even though she has never run at Keeneland, she has done well at many different tracks, a plus.
Watch how the track plays on Saturday before making a final decision on #13 Obligatory. The outside post is fine, since outside draws have done well going seven furlongs at Keeneland. But, horses with early speed have tended to do better. And, Obligatory is a late closing type. She may get enough pace to be a threat regardless, but be ready to fade her if no one can close.
Likely Underlays
#9 Zainalarab will probably be very well bet because she is trained by Chad Brown. It is hard to deny Brown is having a strong meet at Keeneland, and she may be living here. But, Zainalarab has yet to try stakes company yet and has to find her best race against company that is tougher than she has ever seen. That is hard to take at a short price.
The Prioress (G2), when she was the longest shot on the board, was the day to be on #7 Cilla. She’ll be shorter-priced off that effort. And, she is not yet proven going seven furlongs: the Prioress was a six-furlong race, she has yet to win going any longer than six, and she was well beaten the one time she tried going seven over this course.
Raven Run Longshot
#2 Joy’s Rocket is one of only two horses in this field with a victory at Keeneland. She won the six-and-a-half-furlong Songbird Stakes there last year. Though she has never tried seven yet, good form at six and a half can be a strong harbinger of liking seven. And, she should be sharp second off the layoff and returning to the kind of race that suits her best.
Raven Run Best Bets
Here are your best bets for the 2021 Raven Run!
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$10 Win: #8 Caramel Swirl
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$5 Win-Place-Show: #2 Joy’s Rocket
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$5 Exacta Box: #8 Caramel Swirl, #3 Souper Sensational, #2 Joy’s Rocket
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$1 Trifecta Box: #8 Caramel Swirl, #3 Souper Sensational, #2 Joy’s Rocket, #13 Obligatory
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$0.50 Superfecta Box: #8 Caramel Swirl, #3 Souper Sensational, #2 Joy’s Rocket, #13 Obligatory, #9 Zainalarab
