Ashland Stakes Betting Guide

The Ashland Stakes will give an insight into the fillies that could be set to shine in the Triple Tiara events later in the year. Keeneland Race Course in Kentucky plays host for the event, and the 2021 race looks set to be another huge event earmarked in the calendars of gamblers.

Event Details

The Ashland Stakes occurs annually in April and is one of the main prep runs before the Triple Tiara of Thoroughbred Racing. The race takes place at Keeneland and has been a popular date on the racing calendar since being introduced in 1936.

Meanwhile, the Grade I event offers a prize purse of $500,00, as the field competes over a 1 1/16 mile track. The distance covered in the race has varied throughout history, with the current distance being the preferred trip since 1981.

Ashland Stakes Predictions

Final declarations will not be made for the Ashland Stakes until later in the week, but it looks set to be an intriguing field for the race in 2021. Some of the leading entries for the race this year can be seen below:

• Alwayz Late

• Army Wife

• Javanica

• Malathaat

• Moon Swag

• Pass The Champagne

• Simply Ravishing

• Will’s Secret

The Ashland Stakes looks set to be a wide-open affair in 2021, with a number of talented horses set to be involved. Alwayz Late, trained by William Mott, comes into the races, having recovered from a disappointing 2020 with two straight wins. 

Both successes have come at Gulfstream Park. However, the three-year-old has something to prove at Keeneland after finishing fifth there in her last run.

Army Wife for trainer Michael J. Maker was victorious last time out at Gulfstream Park, which was her second win in three starts. Javanica could be the horse to beat. The Eoin Hartley-trained horse has been close on her last two starts and agonizingly missed out on El Camino Real Derby’s success at Golden Gate Fields last time out by a neck from Rombauer.

Irish-trained Malathaat will be competing for just the second time and is one of the more unknown quantities. She has only raced on the all-weather at Kempton in the past, as she finished eight and a half lengths behind Looktotherainbow. Moon Swag has finished third on both her previous runs at Fair Grounds, while Simply Ravishing has finished fourth on both her previous starts.

Pass The Champagne is one of the most interesting contenders, having won the Maiden Special Weight at Gulfstream Park on her only start to date. Will’s Secret will also be prominent in the betting, having won on her return to the track at Oaklawn Park in March. That success in the Grade 3 Honeybee Stakes was a strong run, as she finished three-quarters of a length ahead of Pauline’s Pearl.

Ashland Stakes Information

The Ashland Stakes has been a race open to three-year-old fillies since being established in 1936. It is one of the most historical races to be run, as it was part of the first set of races that were run at Keeneland. 

The first two installments of the race were open to both fillies and mares that were aged three or older, but that changed when the race returned in 1940. It hasn’t always taken place at Keeneland, as it was run at Churchill Downs between 1943 and 1945 due to the Second World War.

The distance of the race has also varied. The distance of 1 1/16 miles that is run nowadays has been the trip since 1981. It was also the distance for the first races in 1936 and 1937. However, in 1940, the distance was reduced to six furlongs until 1974. The distance was increased slightly to seven furlongs, which was the distance up until 1980.

Speech broke the record for the quickest time last year, as she finished at a time of 1:41.26. Calumet Fair has been the most successful of owners, as they won on three occasions. Woody Stephens is the most successful trainer in the history of the race. 

His final win in the race came in 1963 with Sally Ship. Meanwhile, four jockeys have won the Ashland Stakes on three occasions. Shane Sellers, Randy Romero, Dom Brumfield, and Bill Shoemaker have all achieved that feat.

How to Bet on the 2021 Ashland Stakes

Gamblers can make wagers on the Ashland Stakes by utilizing a number of the most prominent markets available. You can learn more about some of the most popular markets here.

• Win: Bettors will be able to play a simple wager on the horse that they believe will cross the line first. Returns will be awarded if the stake was placed on the winner.

• Place: Instead of placing a bet on the winner, gamblers can stake money on a horse to place. Typically, sportsbooks will offer three places on the Ashland Stakes, which means that gamblers will need to put their money on a horse that finishes in the top three to get returns.

• Exacta: Gamblers looking for a harder market shouldn’t look past the Exacta. Here, you must successfully predict the first two horses to cross the line in the correct order.

It is important to remember to do extensive research before making a bet on the Ashland Stakes, regardless of the type of bet that you want to make.