Quills Picks Winners – Friday 4/3 – Keeneland Race 9
The road to the Kentucky Oaks ends this weekend, and the road in Kentucky ends at Keeneland Race Course, which opens up for the season today. The featured race is the Ashland Stakes, a Grade 1 Race for three-year-old fillies looking to run next month in the Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs.
A field of seven will go a mile and a sixteenth in this race. The winner will get 100 points, runner up 50, third gets 25, fourth gets 15 and fifth gets 10 points.
Keeneland Race 9 – Ashland Stakes (Grade 1)
A field of seven is entered, but it appears that six will run. The 1 Nycon is expected to scratch here at Keeneland to run in the Gazelle at Aqueduct on Saturday.
Favored is the 3 Zany (4/5 morning line). She is three for three lifetime after winning the Suncoast Stakes back in February at Tampa Bay Downs. She returns here having won at longer and showing a different way to win in each race. This filly will be heavily favored here and very hard to beat today.
The 2 Percy’s Bar (7/2 ML) races for the first time since the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies on Halloween. She did win here on the front end here in the Alcibiades in October but was disqualified for bumping in the stretch. She returns today with numerous bullets on the work tab and is the danger for the favorite today.
The 7 Star Actress (6/1 ML) broker her maiden last month at Gulfstream going the tricky mile and a sixteenth distance there. She takes a huge step up in class but has the breeding to go long. She stalked not far off the pace and took over in the stretch, but it was a short field.
The 4 French Friction (9/2 ML) is two for two lifetime after winning the Dixie Belle Stakes at Oaklawn in mid-February. She goes two turns for the first time but does have the pedigree to go long. She could steal this on the front end today.
Joe’s Pick
Percy’s Bar looks scary here with all the great works that she has had over the last few months getting ready for this race. I doubt she will be on the lead, but Zany should have first run at the leaders when they race to the first wire. I think Zany is too good here and she will get the win here at short odds.
I’m calling this race 3-2-7-4 and my play is $20 to win on the 3. Best of luck and I’ll see you in the winner’s circle!
