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.