Ashland

TRACK BANDIT PREVIEWS

Keeneland began their anticipated spring meeting on Friday and opening
weekend features a key
prep race for three-year-old fillies as one of the many highlights. SIS CITY (Slew City Slew)
will make her second start of the year in Saturday’s $500,000 Ashland S. (G1),
entering the 1 1/16-mile contest off a 16-length win in the February 5 Davona
Dale S. (G2), and we find it hard to go against the sophomore lass. After being
claimed by Richard Dutrow last year, she has recorded three victories from five
starts, including the the Demoiselle S. (G2) and another 16-length romp in the
Mongo Queen S. For her most recent win, Sis City received a BRIS Speed rating of
108, easily the best of the field, and the bay recently recorded a bullet
half-mile in :47 2/5 over this track on Tuesday and looks tough to beat in this
spot. Edgar Prado gets the call.

SUMMERLY (Summer Squall) enters with three wins in a row, all at the 8
1/2-furlong distance, including the Fair Grounds Oaks (G2) most recently over
another Ashland contender, RUNWAY MODEL (Petionville). Prior to that one, the
Steve Asmussen trainee also took the Silverbulletday S. (G3) and the chestnut
does own a win over the Lexington, Kentucky, track as she broke her maiden
going Saturday’s distance last October. We’ll have her underneath our top
selection in all of the exotics with Gary Stevens in the saddle.

The aforementioned Runway Model got a freshening in the Fair Grounds Oaks and
could be a formidable contender here. The Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1)
third placer prepped for that event with a win over this distance and track when
taking the Alcibiades S. (G2) here last fall. Her last four starts have come at
1 1/16-miles and she has not missed the board with two wins and two thirds, thus
we’ll have to use her in the exactas and trifectas as well.

Doug O’Neill seems to have SHARP LISA (Dixieland Band) in top form as the
chestnut has recorded consecutive wins in the seven-furlong Santa Ynez S. (G2)
and the one-mile Las Virgenes S. (G1) last time. The chestnut does have the
distance, though, finishing third in the 1 1/16-mile Hollywood Starlet S. (G1)
and second to Runway Model in the Alcibiades. Don’t forget her at the windows.

LETGOMYECHO (Menifee) is undefeated from three career starts, all coming this
year, and enters off a surprising win in the seven-furlong Forward Gal S. (G2).
This will be the George Arnold trainee’s first start around two turns and we’ll
let her beat us as she stretches out for the first time. The dark bay has come
from off the pace to win all three times and may be a factor for the bottom of
the gimmicks, though.

The William Currin-trained MEMORETTE (Memo [Chi]) seems better suited at
shorter distances, finishing first in the seven-furlong California Breeders’
Championship S. for her only stakes victory. She will be tested for both class
and distance in this spot and we’ll have to go against, despite her finishing
second to Sweet Catomine (Storm Cat) in the Santa Anita Oaks (G1) last time.

Jennifer Pederson will saddle AMAZING BUY (High Yield), who brings an overall
record of 6-4-0-2 into this contest. She is a winner at the Ashland distance,
taking the Busher S. over Aqueduct’s inner dirt in February, but has never faced
this level of competition and we’ll watch for now.