Ashado Is the One to Beat

Ashado, the front-runner for the Eclipse Award as the country’s top 3-year-old filly, will be favored to win her third Grade I of the year in today’s $750,000 Alabama Stakes at Saratoga.

Owned by Jack and Laurie Wolf and trained by Todd Pletcher, Ashado is also a big fan of wet tracks, having gone four for four, and rain is considered likely again at Saratoga today.

Ashado, who won the Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs over a muddy surface on April 30, was last seen winning the Coaching Club American Oaks by 4 1/2 lengths last month at Belmont Park.

Among those who will be challenging Ashado in the 1 1/4 -mile Alabama are Stellar Jayne, who defeated the favorite in the Mother Goose earlier this year; Yearly Report, the California-bred who has won all four of her starts this year; Society Selection, A Lulu Ofa Menifee, who is trained by Barclay Tagg, and the unbeaten Fleet Indian.

Race of the day: Ticker Tape, who won Hollywood Park’s American Oaks by a length at 12-1 on July 3, will be a much shorter price today against six rivals in the $300,000 Del Mar Oaks. A Grade I at 1 1/8 miles on the turf, the Oaks also lured Western Hemisphere, Sagitta Ra, Sweet Win, Seducer’s Song, Amorama and Red Top.

One for the road: Devils Disciple, who has won three of four starts at Calder, looks like the one to catch in the $250,000 Grade I Hopeful at Saratoga. He could be long gone at a fair price under jockey Cornelio Velasquez.

Exotically speaking: A pick four using Swiss Lad, the Allright entry and Giacomo in the sixth, Retirees Three, Stone Rain and Attack Alert in the seventh, Dream Of Summer in the eighth and Fade To Blue, Legal Logic and Ring of Friendship in the ninth.

Winners: Previous day/meet total: 4/68. Money: Previous day/meet total: $18.80/$366.20. Total money bet: $458.