Ashland Lands Grade 1 Lineup

Even with the departure of division leader Swiss Skydiver to the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (G2), the Central Bank Ashland Stakes (G1) is stacked with a talented cast. A field of six goes in the 1 1/16-mile Ashland with a July 11 post time of 4:24 p.m. ET.

The field has the intriguing trio of grade 2 winners Venetian Harbor (post 2), Bonny South (post 3), and Tonalist's Shape (post 5). They have proven their worth on separate circuits and meet at Keeneland during the Central Kentucky track's five-day summer stand.

Venetian Harbor owns the top speed figure of the cast, earning a 107 Equibase Speed Figure maiden win in December that was followed by a score in the Las Virgenes Stakes (G2) at Santa Anita Park. In her latest effort, she was second to Swiss Skydiver in the May 1 Fantasy Stakes (G3) at Oaklawn Park.

Venetian Harbor, one of two Munnings  fillies in the field, races for Ciaglia Racing, Dominic Savides, Highland Yard, and Nathan McCauley's River Oak Farm. The $110,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale graduate is trained by Richard Baltas.

"Baltas is pretty easy to handicap," Savides said. "Baltas gets excited when things are going well … and you can tell she's going well. She fired a bullet in (1:10 3/5 July 4 at San Luis Rey Downs), and you don't see that too often. She bounced out of it really well."

Venetian Harbor, who is out of the Street Cry mare Sounds of the City, arrived in Lexington on Tuesday. Though the filly has yet to test a wet track, Savides is confident in her ability.

"She breaks sharp and takes turns well," he said. "Even if it rains, we don't care."

Savides also has confidence considering the distance uses Keeneland's alternate finish line at the sixteenth pole, making for a short stretch.

Slam Dunk Racing, Doug Branham, and Legend Ranch's Tonalist's Shape likes to run on the pace and should appreciate the short stretch. A winner of six of seven—her lone defeat came to Swiss Skydiver in the March 28 Gulfstream Park Oaks (G2)—Tonalist's Shape makes her first foray outside of South Florida.

Tyler Gaffalione, who is fresh off winning the Churchill Downs spring/summer meet, will ride the Saffie Joseph-trained chestnut.

After bouncing back off her defeat to win the Hollywood Wildcat Stakes May 15, she trained steadily and ripped off a five-furlong work July 5 at Gulfstream Park in :59.43 to complete her Ashland training.

Juddmonte Farms homebred Bonny South was all class March 21 while rallying from sixth to win the TwinSpires.com Fair Grounds Oaks (G2) in New Orleans at the Ashland trip. Also by Munnings, she is the second foal out of the Tapit  mare Touch the Star and is trained by Brad Cox, who won the Ashland in 2018 with champion 3-year-old filly Monomoy Girl.

She, too, has trained steadily for her return to the races and has been based with Cox's string at Keeneland. Hall of Fame rider John Velazquez will be aboard for the first time.

The remainder of the cast is less accomplished: Grade 3-placed Alta's Award was fourth in the Fantasy, Envoutante makes her dirt stakes debut at the grade 1 level, and Speech was second in the March 8 Santa Ysabel Stakes (G3) and second to Swiss Skydiver in the June 6 Santa Anita Oaks (G2).

Entries: Central Bank Ashland S. (G1)

Keeneland, Saturday, July 11, 2020, Race 7

• Grade I
• 1 1/16m
• Dirt
• $400,000
• 3 yo Fillies
• 4:24 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	Alta's Award (KY)	Ricardo Santana, Jr.	121	Steven M. Asmussen	-
2	Venetian Harbor (KY)	Joel Rosario	121	Richard Baltas	-
3	Bonny South (KY)	John R. Velazquez	121	Brad H. Cox	-
4	Envoutante (KY)	Jose L. Ortiz	121	Kenneth G. McPeek	-
5	Tonalist's Shape (KY)	Tyler Gaffalione	121	Saffie A. Joseph, Jr.	-
6	Speech (FL)	Javier Castellano	121	Michael W. McCarthy	-