Indian Pride Looks to Continue Strong Line of Family Success in Saturday's Lexus Raven Run

Brereton Jones’ homebred Indian Pride will try to take the big step from maiden winner to Grade 2 winner in just her second start Saturday in the $250,000 Lexus Raven Run.

A product of nearby Airdrie Stud stallion Proud Citizen and mare Ms. Cornstalk, Indian Pride is getting the chance as a 3-year-old to showcase her talent.

“It has been a long process,” said Bret Jones, son of the former Kentucky Governor who owns Airdrie. “She was very precocious last year as a 2-year-old and then she got very sick on us. We sent her to the Mid-Atlantic Equine Medical Center (in New Jersey) and they did a great job with her getting her back to 100 percent and then sent her back here to Hagyard (Equine Medical Institute) and then to the farm.”

Indian Pride is a half-sister to Canadian champions Biofuel and Tu Endie Wei. Those two also won their debuts but did not make the jump to Grade 2 competition in their second starts.

“Biofuel is Ms. Cornstalk’s first foal,” Jones said of the filly, who earned Canada’s Sovereign Award as Horse of the Year in 2010. “Tu Endie Wei (Canada’s champion 2-year-old filly of 2011 and favorite here in the Grade 1 [Darley] Alcibiades in her third start) began her career by winning a (listed) stakes race.

“The family has been good to Dad for a long time.”

Indian Pride showed she was worth the wait when she rolled to an eight-length victory in a 6-furlong maiden race at Saratoga on Aug. 28.

“We flew up for the race,” Jones said. “When she went back into training, she showed the same precociousness that she had shown at 2.”

Jones said the decision to make the jump to the Lexus Raven Run was made by trainer Chad Brown.

“We have learned to let the people that are around the horses all the time to make those decisions and he wants to take a shot,” Jones said.

Airdrie and the Joneses also will be represented in the Lexus Raven Run by Istan Council. Fourth in the Dogwood (L) at Churchill Downs in her most recent start on Sept. 21, Istan Council is trained by Larry Jones (no relation).