Ciao Bella Luna faces overflow field in Raven Run

Ciao Bella Luna will start for her fourth trainer on Saturday as part of an

overflow field of 16 sophomore fillies entered to go seven furlongs over

Keeneland's Polytrack in the Grade 2, $250,000

Raven

Run.

The Tribal Rule filly started her career with Dennis Patterson, taking her

first two starts and running second in the Golden Gate Debutante last season,

then was transferred to Bret Calhoun. The bay miss didn't factor in her one race

for that barn while making her 2013 bow over the main track at Fair Grounds, nor

in her debut next out for Jerry Hollendorfer on Santa Anita's turf.

It wasn't until Hollendorfer shipped Ciao Bella Luna to Keeneland for the

Beaumont that the filly showed her earlier spark. She captured the Beaumont

before heading back to California for a runner-up effort in the Railbird and a

fourth-placing in the Hollywood Oaks last out on June 22.

Ciao Bella Luna, who is now with Wayne Catalano, just worked a bullet five

furlongs in :59 2/5 at Keeneland to prepare for the Raven Run and gets Ricardo

Santana Jr. in the irons.

Silsita's only experience on a synthetic surface came when she gutted out a

nose victory in the Bourbonette Oaks at Turfway Park in late March. Though she

never threatened when last of 10 in the Kentucky Oaks last out, the Macho Uno

miss went on to run second in the Astronomia and take the grassy My Princess

Jess in New York. The Todd Pletcher pupil is exiting a fading sixth in the Lake

Placid on Saratoga's grass, and will have Mike Smith aboard on Saturday.

Like Silsita, Turn by Turn owns just one start on the Polytrack, but that

came when breaking her maiden debut for Alex Clarkson on September 2 over

Arlington's version of the all-weather. The Broken Vow filly then switched to

the Chicago venue's turf for a neck win against optional claiming rivals 23 days

later, and will be putting her unbeaten mark on the line while making her stakes

bow under Kent Desormeaux in the Raven Run.

My Option has never tried Keeneland before but has done well for herself at

Arlington with a win in the Arlington Oaks and close runner-up efforts in a

maiden and the Purple Violet. Trained by Chris Block, the Belong to Me gray

filly seems to be a triple-surface threat, as she's also romped on the dirt at

Hawthorne and placed in a pair of Arlington turf stakes. Eduardo Perez has the

call.

Others with a shot in Saturday's Raven Run include Sittin at the Bar, who has

been dominating in state-bred stakes of late; Eden Prairie, a three-length

optional claiming winner in her first try on a synthetic surface last out at

Arlington; and Presque Isle Downs specialists Primed for Passion and

Thetaloveandmine.

Grade 1 winner Lighthouse Bay and Irish Lute are both top-notch sophomores

fillies, but neither has tried an all-weather surface before. The former enters

here off a fifth-placing in the seven-furlong Test at Saratoga while Irish Lute

ran second in the Dogwood at Churchill Downs on September 21.

The Raven Run field is completed by Plenty O'Toole, fourth in the Indiana

Oaks last out; stakes heroines Jewel of a Cat and Finding More; and Elusive

Fate; who was just a neck back of Irish Lute when third in the Dogwood. Grade

2-placed Fully Living and stakes victress Madame Cactus will need a couple of

defections to draw in from the also-eligible list.

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