2023 Ashland Stakes Betting Odds and Contenders Preview

The 2023 Ashland (G1), a traditional feature of the opening day of the Keeneland spring meet, is coming up on Friday, April 7! A Grade 1 race at 1 1/16 miles on dirt, it drew a field of seven sophomore fillies to compete for a $600,000 purse and 100-40-30-20-10 Road to the Kentucky Oaks points. The winner is guaranteed a spot in the Kentucky Oaks, and other runners can put themselves in a strong position if they have run well in other points races.

Juvenile champion Wonder Wheel leads the field, as she tries to bounce back from a shock defeat in the Suncoast. She rematches with Demoiselle winner Julia Shining, a full sister to 2021 Ashland winner Malathaat, who finished third in the Suncoast. In addition, up-and-comers like Punchbowl and Guns n’ Graces make this an even more intriguing race.

The Ashland has been one of the most important races on the road to the Kentucky Oaks. Recent Oaks winners to come out of the Ashland include Lovely Maria (2015), Monomoy Girl (2018), and Malathaat (2021). Nest (2022) was second in the Oaks, but went on to a powerhouse second half of the season, enough to secure champion three-year-old filly honors.

Ashland Stakes 2023 Information

Race Date: Friday, April 7, 2023
Track: Keeneland
Post Time: 5:16 p.m. Eastern Standard Time
Distance: 1 1/16 miles
Age/Sex: three-year-olds
Where to Watch: FanDuel TV
Where to Bet:TVG.com and FanDuel Racing

Ashland Stakes Odds

This is the field for the 2023 Ashland Stakes including post positions, trainers, and jockeys. Keeneland has not released odds for the race yet, though we will update this page when that information becomes available.

Ashland Stakes Prep Results

Two of the marquee contenders, Wonder Wheel and Julia Shining, both come out of the Suncoast at Tampa Bay Downs. They finished 2-3 behind Dreaming of Snow, who has since finished off the board in a turf stakes and then ran second behind the impressive Munnys Gold in a sprint stakes. Two horses in the field contested the Honeybee (G3) at Oaklawn as well; Defining Purpose was sixth in her most recent start, while Effortlesslyelgant was tenth but since rebounded with a two-turn allowance win at Oaklawn.

Two other runners in the field also have stakes experience. Guns n’ Graces comes out of a second-place finish behind Dorth Vader in the Davona Dale (G2), while Pride of the Nile was most recently fifth in the Santa Ysabel (G3). The only runner without a stakes-level try yet is Punchbowl, who is undefeated in two starts, including a last-out two-turn allowance win at Oaklawn.

Ashland Stakes Contenders

These are the contenders in the 2023 Ashland Stakes, in order of their post positions:

Pride of the Nile: She showed solid form in a pair of Oaks preps out west, finishing a close second in both the Starlet (G1) and the Las Virgenes (G3). However, she had a troubled time in the Santa Ysabel (G3), finishing last of five after a messy beginning. If she can get back to the forward tactical style she showed in turf races early in her career, in particular, she could get a nice trip in this short field.

Wonder Wheel: Last year’s champion juvenile filly, she was upset by just a neck in the Suncoast; it is difficult to grade out the horse who beat her since, in two starts since, she has yet to return to a dirt route. She is well-proven over two turns, though, she has excellent pace versatility, and she has already won twice at a mile and a sixteenth at Keeneland. These add up to her being the horse to beat

Guns n’ Graces: She has raced just three times so far, breaking her maiden second time out and then rallying for second into a torrid pace in the Davona Dale. A shift away from Gulfstream probably helps her case, though she also showed in her maiden win that she does not necessarily have to sit so far back before running on late. She also has upside to improve second off the lay, and only needs a reasonable move forward to find competitive form.

Julia Shining: This lightly-raced full sister to champion Malathaat is bred to go this distance and beyond. She does need to move forward, though, as she disappointed a bit in the Suncoast and will have to turn the tables on one of the horses who beat her there, Wonder Wheel. She has some upside: she could move forward second off the lay, and her trainer Todd Pletcher has won the last two editions of this race. Blinkers could also keep her closer to the early action.

Punchbowl: The truly new face here, this Brad Cox trainee has raced just twice, a debut maiden win (in an extremely live maiden race) followed by a romping allowance win. She has shown the ability to handle a tough start, and she has shown that she can win from different running styles. Cox does well putting horses in graded stakes, and if she can hold her form on the class rise, she should fit right in with these.

Defining Purpose: No match for Wet Paint in her last two starts, she moves to Keeneland and probably faces an even deeper set than she did in any of her Oaklawn prep races. She has some tactical versatility and may be able to carve out an outside tracking trip from this post, but she will need to dredge up her best effort yet from a distance that, based on her performance so far, may be just a bit long for her.

Effortlesslyelgant: A winner of two of her four starts, she was well beaten in the Honeybee after a bad break but rebounded nicely in an allowance at Oaklawn on March 19. Though she only won that race by a neck, the third-place finisher was another five lengths back. However, she will have to take a significant step up off of that in the Ashland, against the deepest field she has ever faced.

Ashland Stakes Past Winners Past Performances

Since Keeneland switched back to dirt there have been eight editions of the Ashland. Two preps have supplied two winners each: the Suncoast and the Rachel Alexandra (G2). Weep No More (2016) and Nest (2022) both came out of victories in the Suncoast. Monomoy Girl (2018) won the Rachel Alexandra, while Lovely Maria (2015) was second.

Two others came out of other stakes. Malathaat (2021) had most recently won the Demoiselle (G2) the previous fall, while Speech (2020) came out of a COVID-delayed Santa Anita Oaks (G2) into a July edition of the Ashland.

The other two winners in the past eight years came out of allowance races. Sailor’s Valentine (2017) was previously second in an allowance at Tampa Bay Downs, though she had run off the board in a pair of stakes before that. Out for a Spin (2019), coming off a win in an allowance at Fair Grounds, won her stakes debut in the Ashland.

Ashland Stakes Undercard

The Ashland is carded as the ninth of ten races on Keeneland’s opening-day card. The card includes two other stakes races, the Transylvania (G3) for sophomores on the grass and the Lafayette for three-year-old sprinters. Friday’s action features six races with overflow fields, including the day’s traditional opener, an eagerly-awaited two-year-old maiden race that heralds the beginning of juvenile racing on the national stage.

Make sure to tune into opening day at Keeneland on FanDuel TV, and get your bets in through FanDuel and TVG!

Keeneland

Keeneland was established in 1936 as a nonprofit organization. Though it has been a for-profit entity since the 1950s, it has continued to be a premier place for both racing and selling Thoroughbred horses in the Kentucky bluegrass.

The racecourse itself has conducted the April and October meets since this time and has not broken with tradition. Its spring meet remains one of the richest in North America to this day.

Though the track remains true to its traditional roots, it does so in a way that keeps pace with the times. The track built a new trackside winners’ circle and created the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup Stakes in 1984, to honor a visit from the Queen herself. The next year, Keeneland installed a turf course; the QEII Challenge Cup and many other top races are run over that course to this day. Keeneland even experimented with a synthetic surface, converting its main track to Polytrack from 2006 through the spring of 2014. Since the fall of 2014, the main track at Keeneland has been conventional dirt.

In 2015, Keeneland hosted its first Breeders’ Cup. The Classic that year was won by American Pharoah, who became the first horse ever to win both the Triple Crown and the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1). They hosted two more successful Breeders’ Cup events in 2020 and 2022.

Ashland Stakes FAQ

Q: When is the Ashland Stakes?
A: The 2023 Ashland Stakes will be run Friday, April 7, at 5:16 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. The race is the ninth of ten on the opening-day card at Keeneland.

Q: Where is the Ashland Stakes?
A: It takes place at Keeneland in Lexington, Kentucky.

Q: Which trainer has the most wins in the Ashland Stakes?
A: Woody Stephens leads all trainers with four wins in the Ashland between 1949 and 1963. Among trainers entered in the 2023 edition, Todd Pletcher leads with two wins, in 2021 and 2022.

Q: Who is the favorite for the 2023 Ashland Stakes?
A: Wonder Wheel, the champion juvenile filly of 2022, is the narrow 8-5 morning-line favorite off of a close second-place finish in the Suncoast, which is one of the most live prep races for the Ashland. However, both Punchbowl (2-1) and Julia Shining (3-1) are expected to take betting action, so take notice if either one of them rivals Wonder Wheel for favoritism.

Q: Who is the best Ashland Stakes jockey?
A: Four jockeys, none of whom are still active, lead with three wins each: Don Brumfeld, Randy Romero, Shane Sellers, and Bill Shoemaker. Among jockeys who are riding in the 2023 edition, Joel Rosario leads with two wins. He won in 2014 with Rosalind (who dead-heated with Room Service), and also in 2021 with Malathaat.

Q: Who won the 2022 Ashland Stakes?
A: Todd Pletcher and Irad Ortiz, Jr. won the 2022 Ashland with Nest. Pletcher returns in 2023 with Julia Shining, a full sister to his 2021 Ashland winner, Malathaat. Ortiz does not ride in the 2023 Ashland; Luis Saez has the call on Julia Shining.

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