Percy's Bar Upsets Undefeated Zany in Keeneland Ashland Stakes

Zany entered the Central Bank Ashland Stakes at Keeneland as a 3/5 favorite with an unblemished record and the aura of a Kentucky Oaks lock. She left with her first career loss, beaten 2 1/4 lengths by a filly her connections bought for $52,000 as a yearling and the Oaks picture, once a formality, suddenly unsettled.

Percy's Bar, the Upstart filly trained by Ben Colebrook, threaded a narrow inside path in the stretch to win the Grade 1 race in 1:45.72 over a good Keeneland track, collecting 100 Kentucky Oaks qualifying points and lifting her season total to 114. The victory locked up a starting gate spot for the May 1 renewal at Churchill Downs and handed jockey Luan Machado his first Grade 1 win.

The race set up perfectly for the upset. French Friction dictated a leisurely pace, posting a half-mile in 50.07 seconds, while Machado had Percy's Bar settled just off the leader's flank on the rail. When French Friction drifted off the fence on the far turn, the gap opened instantly. Colebrook described what followed in the winner's circle: Percy's Bar "was just gone." She drew off to her 2 1/4-length margin at the wire, paying $7.12 on a $2 win ticket as the second wagering choice.

Zany, sent off under Irad Ortiz Jr. for trainer Todd Pletcher, had every opportunity to respond in the stretch but found the winner already beyond reach. Racing wide, she couldn't close the deficit. Star Actress completed the minors in third. The $750,000 purse paid $459,188 to winning owner Hat Creek Racing, with $150,000 and $74,063 distributed to second and third respectively.

The result carries weight beyond a single race. Percy's Bar's win is wrapped in institutional memory: the filly crossed the wire first in the Alcibiades Stakes at Keeneland last fall, only to be disqualified in a ruling that also triggered Machado's suspension. She then ran a troubled third in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies before wintering off the track. The Ashland marked her first start of 2026. Colebrook said the victory "takes the sting" out of the Alcibiades outcome. For Machado, it delivered something more concrete: a Grade 1 on his record where a disqualification and suspension had defined the previous chapter.

The immediate question is what Colebrook does with Percy's Bar over the next five weeks. Her inside-running style and demonstrated ability to accelerate through tight quarters give connections flexibility in choosing an April prep or pointing straight to Churchill. Either path leads to the Oaks with a credential Zany never had to earn: proof she can beat the division's best when it counts.

Zany remains a serious contender. She has the breeding, the connections in Pletcher and Ortiz, and the kind of early-season dominance that doesn't dissolve with one result. But the Ashland confirmed she is beatable, particularly against a filly capable of sitting the pace and exploiting any opening on the fence. The May 1 favorite no longer has a name.