Champion Wonder Wheel heads field of seven in opening-day Ashland Stakes
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LEXINGTON, Ky. - Eclipse Award champion Wonder Wheel returns to the site of her biggest wins as she headlines the opening-day entries at Keeneland.
Wonder Wheel, with Tyler Gaffalione in the irons for trainer Mark Casse, leads a field of seven 3-year-old fillies in the Grade 1, $600,000 Ashland , the feature among three stakes on Friday’s 10-race program at Keeneland, which was drawn Tuesday.
First post is 1 p.m. as the bucolic Lexington, Ky., track kicks off its 15-day spring meeting.
Wonder Wheel won the Grade 1 Alcibiades and the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies last fall at Keeneland to lock up her divisional title. She finished second in the Suncoast Stakes on Feb. 11 at Tampa to begin her sophomore season. Third behind her that day was Grade 2 winner Julia Shining, who also is entered in the 1 1/16-mile Ashland.
From the rail out, the field for the Ashland is Pride of the Nile, Wonder Wheel, Guns n’ Graces, Julia Shining, Punchbowl, Defining Purpose, and Effortlesslyelegant. The race awards qualifying points toward the May 5 Kentucky Oaks on a scale of 100-40-30-20-10.
The opening-day card also includes the Grade 3, $400,000 Transylvania, for 3-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles on turf, and the $400,000 Lafayette, for 3-year-olds at seven furlongs.
The Transylvania has a field of 13, including Andthewinneris, a graded winner last fall at Keeneland, and recent stakes winner Rarified Flair.
The $400,000 Lafayette for sophomore sprinters features the return of the well-regarded Gulfport.
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