Ascending Mashallah Looks for Next Step in Raven Run

After passing her initial graded stakes test with flying colors, the connections of Mashallah will bump her up in class Oct. 17 in the $400,000 Raven Run Stakes (G2) at Keeneland. A dozen horses have been entered in the Raven Run, a 7-furlong test for 3-year-old fillies. Mashallah enters with most impressive form. After not racing at 2, Mashallah has made up for lost time this season as the daughter of Maxfield has won four of five starts while moving up the class ladder with each win. She enters off a 5-length victory in the Prioress Stakes (G3) Sept. 6 at Saratoga Race Course. That 5-length win in her first graded stakes try followed a 5 1/2-length score in her first stakes try, the Tyson Gilpin Stakes Aug. 1 at Colonial Downs; which followed a 7-length victory in a 6 1/2-furlong allowance-level win July 4 at Saratoga. That's three straight wins by a combined 17 1/2 lengths for the filly sprinter campaigned by JR Ranch and trained by Brendan Walsh. After her Prioress victory, Ramiro Restrepo, racing and bloodstock manager for JR Ranch, was amazed at how Mashallah, the highest-priced filly at the 2025 Ocala Breeders' Sales March 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale, has taken on every challenge since catching their eye with a :09 4/5-second breeze ahead of the auction. Marquee Bloodstock would purchase Mashallah for $1.25 million from the De Meric Sales consignment. "Every race she's gone through the progression, kind of like the old school boxers, right," Restrepo said. "You want to take them through the ladder and she graduated another step today. I'm thrilled for the owners Jose Aguirre and Rina Camargo." The Prioress victory clinched a Saratoga riding title for jockey Manny Franco, but regular rider Tyler Gaffalione is scheduled to ride Mashallah Saturday while Franco stays in New York, where he's scheduled to ride in 11 races at Belmont Park. As with many stakes at Keeneland, plenty of potential challengers await in the expected field of 12. Like Mashallah, Juddmonte homebred Conceit enters off of her first graded stakes win, a narrow victory in the Dogwood Stakes (G3) Sept. 19 at Churchill Downs that followed a stakes win at Ellis Park. The daughter of Not This Time is trained by Brad Cox. Grade 1 winner Percy's Bar, who is good everywhere but especially excels at Keeneland, returns to dirt after an off-the-board finish in the Music City Stakes (G2T) Sept. 5 at Kentucky Downs. The daughter of Upstart has two wins in three starts at Keeneland, including a clear victory in this year's Ashland Stakes (G1) and in the race she didn't win, the 2025 Alcibiades Stakes (G1) she reached the wire first but was demoted to second for interference. She is trained by Ben Colebrook for Hat Creek Racing. WinStar Farm homebred Movie Night will try to improve on her close third in the Dogwood when the daughter of Speightstown starts from the 11 post under Flavien Prat. She's trained by Will Walden.