AMERICAN GRADED STAKES
PREVIEWS
|
ASHLAND S. (G1), 9TH-KEE, $400,000, 3YO, F, 1 1/16M, 5:05 P.M. EDT, 4-4 |
|
| 1 |
NAN, 3, f, by High YieldTrip Around Heaven, by Halo O-J Paul Reddam; B-De Savino Stable LLC (Ky) |
| 2 |
WHAT A PEAR, 3, f, by E DubaiPerfect Pear, by Pine Bluff O-Tri-Bone Stables; B-Dr Russell S Cohen (NY) |
| 3 |
THIRD DAWN, 3, f, by Sky MesaChalmette, by Quiet American O-Dawn and Ike Thrash; B-John C. Oxley (Ky) |
| 4 |
BE FAIR, 3, f, by Exchange RateGo Donna Go, by Wild Again O-Westrock Stables LLC; B-Milan Kosanovich (Fl) |
| 5 |
GOZZIP GIRL, 3, f, by DynaformerTemperence Gift, by Kingmambo O-Farnsworth Stables LLC; B-Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings LLC (Ky) |
| 6 |
DREAM EMPRESS, 3, f, by BernsteinChinese Empress, by Nijinsky II O-Livin the Dream Racing LLC; B-Hopewell Investments, LLC, Glencrest Farm & Bryan Cross (Ky) |
| 7 |
STARDOM BOUND, 3, f, by TapitMy White Corvette, by Tarr Road O-Ieah Stables Pompa P Jr Lanzman D Dubb M; B-Fletcher & Carolyn Gray and John Youngblood (Ky) |
| 8 |
HOOH WHY, 3, f, by Cloud HoppingMagic Merger, by Corporate Report O-Derby Daze Farms; B-Gail Gee (Fl) |
| 9 |
BOLEYN, 3, f, by Proud CitizenMagnificent Baby, by Northern Baby O-Peachtree Stable; B-Al Meek & Joyce Meek (Ky) |
Five-time Grade 1 champion STARDOM BOUND (Tapit) headlines the $400,000
Ashland S. (G1) on Saturday at Keeneland, which attracted nine fillies. While
the classy gray may have shown a chink in the armor after her narrow victory in
the Santa Anita Oaks (G1) last out, we still like her in this spot in her third
try off the shelf. Now under the care of Richard Dutrow, the impressive
sophomore miss has a one-run style that may or may not be conducive to this
course, but she’s still the class of the race and you might get the best price
on here in recent memory. Mike Smith stays atop the filly.
Herecomesthebride S. (G3) vixen GOZZIP GIRL (Dynaformer) is a multiple turf stakes
heroine who can run all day, and we see no reason why she can’t challenge for
the win if she makes the transition to the Polytrack. The Tom Albertrani filly
should be rolling late.
The D. Wayne Lukas-trained BE FAIR (Exchange Rate) has been very good on dirt
but must negotiate a different surface in this test while going further than she
ever has to date. We’ve always thought highly of this filly and give her a big
chance to round out the trifecta at a square price.
NAN (High Yield) has run some sneaky good races as of late for Craig Dollase
and drew the inside post for this difficult assignment. The Kentucky-bred has
never been worse than fourth on turf and synthetic, and she showed a lot of late
run at 1 1/16 miles last out in the Santa Anita Oaks, indicating that nine panels could be right up her
alley. We give the miss an outside chance at the win.
Unbeaten WHAT A PEAR (E Dubai) has rolled to a quartet of wins in the Empire
State, including a most impressive romp in the Busher S. in her latest. The
smart filly has never been better but is still a question mark on this surface.
We’ll use her in everything with cautious optimism.
DREAM EMPRESS (Bernstein) bagged the Alcibiades S. (G1) as a juvenile and
finished a big second to Stardom Bound in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) to wrap up a
superb two-year-old campaign for Ken McPeek. The talented bay has yet to live up
to the lofty expectations set for her entering this season, but
she could easily rebound with a big showing back on her home soil. Kent Desormeaux will be on the filly, who must be used in the exotics.
HOOH WHY (Cloud Hopping) was a head third in the Santa Anita Oaks and has some
solid Polytrack form from her freshman campaign at Woodbine. The chestnut has
amassed a solid 8-2-3-2 synthetic mark and seemingly enjoys two-turn racing, so
we’ll surely use the Florida-bred.
THIRD DAWN (Sky Mesa) was a surprising second in the Santa Anita Oaks, but
we’ll let her beat us in this spot at overbet odds. BOLEYN (Proud Citizen) will make her artificial surface debut for Todd
Pletcher and drew the widest post. While we do acknowledge the
talent of this filly, she looks a cut below these.