KENTUCKY - What was supposed to be a collossal matchup of the nation's finest 3-year-old fillies in Saturday's $500,000 Ashland Stakes (Grade I) at Keeneland lost some of its luster on Friday.

Wertheimer Farms' 2-year-old filly champion Halfbridled was withdrawn from the 1 1/8 mile race after she suffered muscle cramps, or "tied up." Trainer Richard Mandella said the problem did not appear to be serious, but he decided to take a cautious route in dealing with it. "She galloped great yesterday and today," Mandella said. "When she got back to the barn this morning, she tied up for about 10 minutes. I'm not going to run her. I can't take that chance."

Mandella indicated that if his filly recovers quickly then she would likely run on in the seven-furlong Stonerside Beaumont (GII) at Keeneland on April 8. If not, she could simply train up to the Kentucky Oaks (GI).

The defection reduced the Ashland field to four -- but it is a very impressive four. Bruce Lunsford's unbeaten Madcap Escapade looms as the likely post time favorite. The Frank Brothers-conditioned daughter of Hennessy has been brilliant in winning her first three races by a combined 26 1/2-lengths. She won the Forward Gal (GII) at Gulfstream last time and will be ridden Saturday by Rene Douglas.

The Todd Pletcher-trained Ashado also comes into the Ashland with an impressive resume. The Saint Ballado filly has won five of seven starts, including a convincing 3 3/4-length victory in last month's Fair Grounds Oaks (GII). She won three graded stakes races at two and was runner-up to Halfbridled in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (GI). Ashado will be ridden by Cornelio Velasquez.

Buckram Oak Farm's Last Song made her big splash last time out when won Gulfstream's Bonnie Miss (GII) by two lengths. Trained by Carl Nazfger, the daughter of Unbridled's Song has a career record of 3-1-0 in seven career starts. Robby Albarado will ride Last Song for the first time.

Last, but certainly not least, in the Ashland is Emory Hamilton's La Reina. The regally-bred daughter of A.P. Indy out of multiple stakes winning mare Queena is coming off consecutive runner-up finishes. She lost by a nose to Ashado in last fall's Demoiselle (GII) at Aqueduct and made chased Madcap Escapade in the Forward Gal in her 2004 debut. Shug McGaughey trains the chestnut filly,, has yet to finish worse than second in five starts.

Post time for the Ashland is 5:15 p.m. (EST).

ARKANSAS - Hall of Fame trainer Ron McAnally had planned to take his impressive filly House of Fortune to Keeneland for a run in the Ashland, but called an audible after a weekend workout at Santa Anita was compromised because of a loose horse.

McAnally has decided instead to ship the California-bred daughter of Free House to Oaklawn Park for the $200,000 Fantasy (GII) on April 9. House of Fortune is coming off an authoritative 17-length victory in the California Oaks at Golden Gate Fields, her fourth win in seven starts. Her only losses come to Hollywood Story in the Hollywood Starlet (GI) in December and to Yearly Report in Santa Anita's Santa Ynez (GII) earlier this year. House of Fortune is scheduled to fly to Oaklawn on Wednesday.

Her top main rivals in the Fantasy could be the Bobby Frankel-trained Miss Coronado, who shipped from Frankel's California base to win the Davona Dale (GII) at Florida's Gulfstream Park, and James Osborne's Island Sand, who made Aqueduct's Busanda her third consecutive victory and is now trained by Larry Jones.

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