LEXINGTON, Ky. – Just F Y I claimed a divisional championship winning the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies last November to complete an unbeaten campaign. She will need to return sharp off a five-month layoff Friday when she meets Breeders’ Cup second- and third-place finishers Jody’s Pride and Candied, plus the talented newcomer Impel, in a compelling edition of the Grade 1, $600,000 Ashland Stakes at Keeneland. The eight-horse Ashland, which awards its top finishers points toward the Kentucky Oaks on a 100-50-25-15-10 scale, is the headliner as Keeneland opens a 16-day spring meeting that runs through April 26. The 10-race Friday program includes the Grade 3, $400,000 Transylvania Stakes and $400,000 Lafayette Stakes. The meet will offer a total of 19 stakes, including five Grade 1s, worth a record $8.1 million Like Just F Y I, Candied, winner of the Grade 1 Alcibiades at Keeneland last fall, will be making her 3-year-old debut in the 1 1/16-mile Ashland. “In my opinion, to progress from an elite campaign at age 2, and be able to sustain that type of elite form at age 3, is one of, if not the biggest jumps in all of horse racing,” said Aron Wellman of Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, which owns Candied. The Ashland is the first Grade 1 of the year for 3-year-old fillies. Two Ashland winners have gone on to take the Kentucky Oaks in the last six editions, the champions Monomoy Girl (2018) and Malathaat (2021). :: Bet the races with a $200 First Deposit Match + FREE All Access PPs! Join DRF Bets. “It’s a very, very good race,” said Brad Cox, who trained Monomoy Girl and has Impel in this edition. “It looks like to me, what I would say, a true Grade 1. It’s a very, very good group of 3-year-old fillies.” Just F Y I made her two-turn debut in the BC Juvenile Fillies at Santa Anita. She overcame the outside post in a field of 12 to hold off Jody’s Pride by a neck, with Candied just a half-length back in third. Just F Y I was entered in the Grade 2 Davona Dale Stakes on March 2 at Gulfstream Park, but was scratched after developing a fever. Since the scratch, she has breezed twice for trainer Bill Mott at Payson Park, both bullet half-mile moves. Candied had an adventurous trip in the Juvenile Fillies. The filly bobbled breaking from the rail, came wide into the stretch, and brushed with a foe while rallying. Candied has been working steadily for trainer Todd Pletcher at Palm Beach Downs. She has turned in three straight five-furlong works, which should help put some bottom in her. “Todd’s been really pleased with her,” Wellman said. “We gave her some time off after the Breeders’ Cup – that was by design. And then we just basically conceded to the fact we weren’t going to have her ready in time for a two-prep build-up to the Kentucky Oaks, so Todd’s just been really methodical with her. “We’d be stretching to say she’s 100 percent cranked up for the Ashland, but she’s fit enough and doing well enough, we think this is a logical springboard for her to get her season started and get the qualification for the Oaks. We’re not viewing this as the be-all, end-all.” Jody’s Pride has a recency edge. She ran on well late to win the Busher Invitational going a mile on a sloppy Aqueduct track, improving her record to 3 for 4 lifetime. “From 2 to 3, she’s not so much bigger, but stronger,” trainer Jorge Abreu said. “She’s never going to be a big horse, but she’s filled out real nice in that little time we gave her. Just what you want to see on a horse.” :: Subscribe to the DRF Post Time Email Newsletter: Get the news you need to play today's races!  The “now” horse is Impel, who has won her two starts by a combined 11 3/4 lengths in such impressive fashion that she is the 2-1 favorite on the morning line, with Just F Y I at 3-1. In her first try around two turns, Impel was an 8 1/2-length winner of an allowance/optional-claiming race on March 3 at Oaklawn Park. Her 91 Beyer Speed Figure is the highest in this field. “She’s very smart,” Cox said. “She’s not super aggressive. . . . So, excited about the position we’re in. It’s obviously a big step up.” Although Cox indicated Impel will not be overly aggressive, she does figure to be part of the early pace from post 7. The other speed is inside of her, with Standoutsensation in post 2 and Leslie’s Rose in post 3. Standoutsensation, adding blinkers and making her stakes debut for Tom Amoss, has been second to Tarifa and Our Pretty Woman in her two most recent outings. Those two went on to finish first and second in the Grade 2 Fair Grounds Oaks. Leslie’s Rose, trained by Pletcher, was most recently third in the Davona Dale. Just F Y I and Jody’s Pride both figure to be within striking distance of the pace, and are well drawn in posts 6 and 8, respectively. Candied, from the rail, will likely drop back and look to maneuver outside for a clear run. Rounding out the field are Tempted Stakes winner Shimmering Allure, who has placed in two other stakes in New York, and Ruthless Stakes winner Halina’s Forte, who is going beyond seven furlongs for the first time. Change is evident on the Keeneland grounds, as the track is building a new three-level paddock structure, the largest construction project in Keeneland history. The ongoing construction – which will take place at night during the meet – will mean different parking and entry procedures. :: Bet with the Best! Get FREE All-Access PPs and Weekly Cashback when you wager on DRF Bets. The Ashland, Lafayette, and Transylvania are part of Friday’s late pick four and late pick five, and the Transylvania is also part of the turf pick three that is offered on the final three turf races each day. In a popular move, Keeneland has reduced the takeout on all daily doubles at the meet from 22 percent to 15 percent. First post is 1 p.m. Eastern except for closing day, April 26, when races will begin at 12:30 to accommodate Keeneland’s spring horses of racing age sale that evening. Strong storms in the Lexington area on Tuesday brought cooler air to the region, but no more precipitation is expected. A high of 48 is forecast for Friday, and a high of 54 for Saturday. – additional reporting by Mary Rampellini :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? 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