Just F Y I leads Ashland field in 3-year-old debut

Eclipse Award champion Just F Y I headlines a field of eight fillies as she makes her delayed 3-year-old debut in the Grade 1, $600,000 Ashland Stakes on Friday at Keeneland, opening day of the Lexington, Ky., track's spring meeting.

The first of 16 cards for Keeneland's spring meet was drawn on Monday. The Ashland is one of three stakes on the 10-race card, with a first post of 1 p.m. Eastern.

Just F Y I won all three of her starts last year, including the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies by a neck over Jody's Pride, to secure a divisional championship. The filly had been entered in the Grade 2 Davona Dale Stakes in early March at Gulfstream Park, but was scratched after developing a fever. Trainer Bill Mott re-routed Just F Y I to the Ashland, and she has turned in two bullet half-mile works at the trainer's Payson Park winter base since that scratch.

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Meanwhile, Jody's Pride, whose only loss came in the Juvenile Fillies, won the Busher Stakes on March 2 at Aqueduct to start her 3-year-old campaign. She has been training at Keeneland since last week in preparation for her rematch with the champion.

The Ashland is a key prep race toward the May 3 Kentucky Oaks, offering points on a 100-50-25-15-10 scale.

Two Ashland winners have gone on to take the Oaks in the past six editions - champions Monomoy Girl (2018) and Malathaat (2021). Nest (2022) was second in the Oaks, but went on to secure the divisional title.

From the rail out, the Ashland field, with riders, is Candied (Luis Saez), winner of the Grade 1 Alcibiades last fall at Keeneland before running third in the Juvenile Fillies; Standoutsensation (Edgar Morales); Leslie’s Rose (Irad Ortiz Jr.); Ruthless Stakes winner Halina’s Forte (Tyler Gaffalione); Shimmering Allure (Brian Hernandez Jr.); Just F Y I (Junior Alvarado); unbeaten Impel (Florent Geroux) in her stakes debut; and Jody’s Pride (Flavien Prat).

The Ashland is the feature among three stakes on the Friday card. It is joined by the Grade 3, $400,000 Transylvania Stakes for 3-year-olds on the turf, and the $400,000 Lafayette Stakes for 3-year-old sprinters.

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