Ashland shares spotlight with Blue Grass
The Grade 1 Blue Grass Stakes is usually the highlight every spring at Keeneland, but there’s a race threatening to overshadow it when the 16-day meet opens next weekend.
The Grade 1 Ashland Stakes is shaping up with one of its best renewals, with Cathryn Sophia, Rachel’s Valentina, and Carina Mia among the 3-year-old fillies expected for the 1 1/16-mile race, according to Tiffany Bourque, the new stakes coordinator at the Lexington, Ky., track.
Although Songbird is a heavy favorite for the May 6 Kentucky Oaks, those three fillies are regarded as probably the top threats to her.
The Ashland and Blue Grass are two of the five graded stakes to be run on an 11-race card next Saturday, April 9. The meet opens next Friday with the Transylvania Stakes, with entries for that 10-race card being drawn Monday. The Saturday card will be drawn Tuesday.
At least nine 3-year-olds are expected for the 1 1/8-mile Blue Grass, with Brody’s Cause looking to rebound off a seventh-place finish as the Tampa Bay Derby favorite for trainer Dale Romans.
A third Grade 1 race on Saturday, the seven-furlong Madison, also should be a terrific race, with Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint winner Wavell Avenue making her 5-year-old debut against Birdatthewire, Sarah Sis, and possibly Sheer Drama.
Here are the known probables for the stakes on opening weekend:
◗ Grade 3, $100,000 Transylvania: Back Togetheragain, Camelot Kitten, Converge, J R’s Holiday, Shakhimat, Urban Bourbon
◗ Grade 1, $1 million Blue Grass: American Dubai, Brody’s Cause, Donegal Moon, Hint of Roses, Laoban, Pinson, Star Hill, Twizz, Vorticity
◗ Grade 1, $500,000 Ashland: Carina Mia, Cathryn Sophia, Rachel’s Valentina, Weep No More
◗ Grade 1, $300,000 Madison: Birdatthewire, Fioretti, Sarah Sis, Sheer Drama, Super Majesty, Thirteen Arrows, Wavell Avenue
◗ Grade 3, $250,000 Commonwealth: Ami’s Flatter, Barbados, Departing, Holy Boss, Viva Majorca
◗ Grade 3, $200,000 Shakertown: American Sailor, Bye Bernie, Power Alert, Something Extra