LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Sweet Catomine is taking on the boys out West, leaving Saturday's $500,000 Ashland Stakes without the top 3-year-old filly but with a quality field nonetheless.
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Summerly, unbeaten in three starts this year, is the 2-1 morning-line favorite for the 1 1/16th-mile race at Keeneland, a top prep for the Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs on May 6.
Trained by Steve Asmussen, Summerly comes into the Ashland off a victory in last month's Fair Grounds Oaks in New Orleans. Gary Stevens is the rider.
The field of seven also includes Las Virgenes Stakes winner Sharp Lisa, Davona Dale winner Sis City and undefeated Letgomyecho. Runway Model, Memorette and Amazing Buy round out the field.
Sweet Catomine, the 2-year-old filly champion, is being pointed to the Kentucky Derby on May 7. But first, she has to run a big race in Saturday's Santa Anita Derby.
Sis City, co-owned by New York Yankees manager Joe Torre, and Runway Model are the co-second choices at 3-1. Sharp Lisa is 7-2.
Runway Model, third behind Summerly in the Fair Grounds Oaks on March 12, owns a victory over Sharp Lisa at Keeneland last year.
Sharp Lisa, winner of her last two starts for trainer Doug O'Neill, gets a new rider in Garret Gomez. Regular rider Corey Nakatani will be aboard Sweet Catomine.
Sis City loves to run on the lead. In each of her four wins, the filly has taken the lead near the start and held it the rest of the way. The daughter of Slew City Slew leaves from the No. 4 post.
"We're very much concerned with how she's going to come out of the gate, even though she's done it every time," Sis City trainer Richard Dutrow said. "She's been breaking good and found herself on the lead, so I haven't tried to teach her any new tricks."
Letgomyecho has won all three of her starts, most recently the Forward Gal Stakes at Gulfstream Park on March 5.
Runway Model won last year's Darley Alcibiades Stakes at Keeneland before finishing third behind Sweet Catomine in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies.
