Buy TicketsKeeneland’s 87th running of the $600,000 Central Bank Ashland (G1) on Friday, April 5, opening day of the 16-day Spring Meet, has attracted 88 nominees to the race for 3-year-old fillies led by George Krikorian’s undefeated champion Just F Y I and Godolphin’s Tarifa, winner of the Rachel Alexandra (G2) last Saturday at Fair Grounds.
Click here for a list of Central Bank Ashland nominees; click here for their past performances.
The division’s first Grade 1 race of 2024, the Central Bank Ashland is an important early-season target. Recent winners who went on to be named champions are Nest (2022), Malathaat (2021) and Monomoy Girl (2018).
Meanwhile, the race awards 100 points to the winner on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks. The next four finishers receive 50 points, 25 points, 15 points and 10 points, respectively, to the $1.5 million, Grade 1 race on May 3 at Churchill Downs.
The 1 1/16-mile Central Bank Ashland is the ninth race on the 10-race card that begins at 1 p.m. ET. Post time for the Central Bank Ashland is 5:16 p.m.
Other stakes that day are the 36th running of the $400,000 Transylvania (G3) for 3-year-olds going 1 1/16 miles on the turf and the 76thrunning of the $400,000 Lafayette for 3-year-olds racing 7 furlongs on the dirt.
Just F Y I, trained by Bill Mott, is undefeated in three career races highlighted by a victory in the NetJets Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) at Santa Anita in November. She also won the Frizette (G1) last fall.
Godolphin’s Tarifa, trained by Brad Cox, posted a 2¾-length victory over favored Intricate in the Rachel Alexandra in her stakes debut.
Also nominated to the Central Bank Ashland, Intricate made her 2024 debut in the Rachel Alexandra after closing 2023 with a 5¼-length victory in the Golden Rod (G2) in November at Churchill. Trained by Brendan Walsh, she is owned by Bradley Thoroughbreds, Laura Leigh Stable, Scott Estes and Cambron Equine.
Other notable Central Bank Ashland nominees include Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners’ Candied, winner of last fall’s Darley Alcibiades (G1) at Keeneland and third in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies; Parkland Thoroughbreds and Sportsmen Stable’s Jody’s Pride, runner-up in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies; Michael Lund Petersen’s Kinza, winner of the Las Virgenes (G3); Spendthrift Farm’s Kopion, winner of the Santa Ynez (G3); Repole Stable’s Life Talk, winner of the Demoiselle (G2); MJM Racing and Magdalena Racing’s V V’s Dream, winner of the Pocahontas (G3) and runner-up in the Darley Alcibiades; and Dixiana Farms’ Band of Gold, winner of the Martha Washington (L).
Cox leads all trainers with 10 nominees to this year’s race, while Todd Pletcher and Chad Brown each have nine nominees.
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The late nomination deadline for the Central Bank Ashland is Wednesday, March 20.
Post positions for the Central Bank Ashland and the other April 5 races will be drawn on Monday, April 1.
This marks the 20th year Central Bank has been a Keeneland race sponsor.