Exploring Top Contenders at G1 Central Bank Ashland Race 9

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00:00And we start things out, Alexa, with the number one look forward,

00:03who's one of the bigger prices in this race, 20-1 on the morning line.

00:06And she just kind of has to step it up a little bit early.

00:09I don't really know how good she is or how far she wants to go,

00:13but she has faced some of the best fillies in this group.

00:16You see Quiet Side, you also see Tenma earlier on in her career.

00:20Can you give her a shot in here at a big price?

00:23So, Gina, I'm curious because I haven't considered her a whole lot

00:27because she's cross-entered in the Santa Anita Oaks this Saturday out in California,

00:31which is where she's been training.

00:32It's a great point.

00:33I don't, I would be surprised.

00:35I don't know, do you know if they're shipping her out here?

00:39Especially with the weather in the smaller field at Santa Anita,

00:43it would just make a whole lot more sense.

00:45So I think, especially since that's a smaller race,

00:47we can talk about her a little more when we preview the Santa Anita Oaks

00:50because it's smaller, but if she runs in here, I think it would be a tougher spot.

00:54She's got a much better spot to secure some points,

00:57I think, if she stays and runs at Santa Anita.

00:59I think so, too.

01:00Now, I mean, if she does show up here and is 20-1,

01:03I think that's really too long of odds for her.

01:06So I might consider playing in my exotic bets from a value standpoint,

01:11but I don't think she's going to be here.

01:12Number two, La Cara.

01:14She's a grade three winner.

01:15She had a big win in the Pocahontas last year at Churchill Downs,

01:19and then she had a big win in the Suncoast at Tampa Bay Downs.

01:22She felt a little bit flat in her last race.

01:24She still ran fine, finishing second.

01:27I think it might have been that she ran such a big race in her first start of the year

01:31that she just regressed a little bit.

01:32I actually expect her to bounce back, but this is a tough group.

01:35This is probably tougher than most groups that she's faced.

01:39Yeah, I think she's a little light on the speed figures.

01:42You know, her worst race was her first out ever, and that was in the slop,

01:46which is going to be a sloppy mess here on Friday.

01:48Yeah, that's a great point.

01:50But it was also her first race out,

01:51so it's hard to say, like, oh, did she hate the slop,

01:53or was she just a green baby and, you know, didn't know what she was doing yet?

01:58But I do still think she's a little light on the speed figures,

02:02as opposed to, like, the number three super speed,

02:05who is a super speed and switched the dirt last out at Santa Anita in a grade three

02:10and ran a banging speed figure.

02:13Just missed that day, got second.

02:15This will be the first time out of California, though, so it will be a test.

02:18But I like the improvement on the three super speed.

02:21Yeah, it was her first start on the dirt, too,

02:23so she has the ability to take another step forward half of that race.

02:27That's the three super speed.

02:29She comes in for trainer John Sadler.

02:31Joelle Rosario will be aboard.

02:33She's up at four to one, about plus 400 on the morning line.

02:37Mujima was basically the top of the division before the honeybee.

02:43She was three for three, and then she finishes third in the honeybee.

02:47But now, after about a month, month and a half,

02:50that third doesn't look all that bad,

02:51because the two horses she finished behind, Alexa,

02:54they came right back to win their next start.

02:56Quiet Side came back to win the fantasy.

02:585G went over and won the Gulfstream Park Oaks.

03:01So I still think Mujima is a solid filly.

03:04This is kind of the test for her to really see how far she wants to go,

03:08and maybe if she was, like, a precocious horse last year.

03:10But I'm expecting a big effort from her here.

03:14Yeah, I mean, she's never not been the favorite in a race,

03:17and that's not going to change this weekend.

03:19I think, you know, we're second off of the layoff here,

03:22which trainer Brad Cox wins 30% of the time.

03:25She's definitely one to beat.

03:27She's never been over the wet surface, not even as much as a workout.

03:31So that I could see as a potential risk.

03:34One thing that I'm curious about, Alexa, as we move to the number five, Running Away,

03:38is that it does feel like Running Away has done her best races right on the lead.

03:43Mujima has done her best races when she's really close to the lead.

03:48Lakara, she ran her best races when she's right on the lead.

03:53I'm wondering if these fillies all want to try to get to the front.

03:56If they do, something's got to give, right?

03:58Because they can't all be up there getting the really soft front end trip.

04:02I respect Running Away.

04:03I just get a little bit concerned, you know,

04:05that some of these really nice fillies all have similar running styles.

04:09Yeah, I agree.

04:09She's going to get a lot of pace pressure from the inside,

04:11and I do think they're all going to want the lead.

04:13And especially with never being on wet surfaces,

04:18I mean, you don't want to get kickback in your face.

04:20So I think this is going to be a very speed-heavy race.

04:24I don't like Running Away at those odds.

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