Lost Raven / NYRA Photo

Lost Raven flies home a winner in Coronation Cup

by Jenny Kellner

Lost Raven put her nose down on the wire after a stretch-long duel through the mud with Quick Release to take Monday's $100,000 Coronation Cup for 3-year-old fillies at Saratoga Race Course.

With the field scratched down to four after the 5 ½-furlong race was taken off the turf, jockey Jose Ortiz sent Lost Raven straight to the front, where she set fractions of 22.35 and 45.61 seconds with Quick Release in hot pursuit. The two were neck and neck straightening for home and battled saddlecloth-to-saddlecloth to the wire, but it was Lost Raven who won the bob by a desperate nose.

Her winning time was 1:04.42 over the sloppy, sealed track.

"It was a hard fought win," said Todd Pletcher, who trains Lost Raven for Repole Stable. "The two of them hooked up pretty much the whole way. We were on the fortunate side of a head bob. Having two fillies with similar styles, we felt like the No. 4 horse [Quick Release] was going to show speed. Mike [Repole] said 'Let's go ahead and commit to trying to make the lead' and it was a good call by him. Jose is a very good gate rider and he got her away well."

The 3-4 favorite, Lost Raven returned $3.50 for a $2 win bet in what was supposed to be her first start on turf. The victory was the Uncle Mo filly's third in seven starts this year, all in stakes, having previously won the Grade 3 Miss Preakness at Pimlico Race Course and the Cicada at Aqueduct Racetrack.

"It's fun to see another Uncle Mo stakes winner at Saratoga," said Pletcher. "It seems like every time you pick up the paper, Uncle Mo's got another stakes winner."

It was 6 ¾ lengths back to Brinkley in third, with J La Tache checking in another length back in fourth.

Tizanillusion, Miss Katie Mae, Coco as in Chanel and Ava's Kitten were scratched.