Ky. Oaks trail: Wonder Wheel, Julia Shining lead Ashland field
Champion Wonder Wheel headlines a field of seven 3-year-old fillies entered Tuesday for the 86th running of the Grade 1 Ashland, the centerpiece of a 10-race program Friday, opening day of the 15-day Keeneland spring meet.
Scheduled as the ninth race on the program with a 5:16 p.m. EDT post time, the Ashland will be contested over 1 1/16 miles on the main track.
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The year’s first Grade 1 race for 3-year-old fillies, the Ashland offers 200 points on a 100-40-30-20-10 scale for the first- through fifth-place finishers toward the Kentucky Oaks (G1). The Oaks, which will be run May 5 at Churchill Downs, is limited to the top 14 point earners who pass the entry box.
Owned by D.J. Stable and trained by Mark Casse, Wonder Wheel is perfect in two Keeneland starts with victories in the Darley Alcibiades (G1) and the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies last fall. She has compiled a career mark of 6: 4-2-0 and in her lone start of 2023 finished second in the Suncoast at Tampa Bay Downs on Feb. 11.
Tyler Gaffalione, who has been aboard for all of Wonder Wheel’s starts, has the mount Friday and will exit post position 2.
The Ashland winner the last two years has gone on to earn the Eclipse Award as champion 3-year-old filly. Todd Pletcher trained both of them, Malathaat in 2021 and Nest last year.
Pletcher brings Malathaat’s full sister Julia Shining into this year’s renewal. Owned by Stonestreet Stables, Julia Shining comes into the Ashland off a third-place finish in the Suncoast in which she was 1 1/4 lengths behind Wonder Wheel.
Luis Saez, who has been aboard Julia Shining in all of her starts including her victory in the Demoiselle (G2), has the call Friday and will depart post 4.
Pletcher is the fourth trainer to win the Ashland in consecutive years. No trainer has won the race three years in a row.
Also coming from Florida is Guns n’ Graces for trainer Chad Brown. Guns n’ Graces finished second in the Davona Dale (G2) at Gulfstream Park on March 4 in her stakes debut. Joel Rosario has the mount from post 3.
Coming from California is Pride of the Nile, trained by Doug O’Neill. A two-time winner on grass as a 2-year-old, Pride of the Nile was runner-up in the Starlet (G1) and the Las Virgenes (G3) before finishing fifth in the Santa Ysabel (G3) in her most recent start March 5 at Santa Anita.
Frankie Dettori has the mount on Pride of the Nile from post position 1.