There is compelling horse racing action across the United States this weekend in terms of Kentucky Derby qualifying points. However, the race that we will focus on is the wide-open Jeff Ruby Stakes at Turfway Park. This race offers 100 qualifying points, and a field of 12 will be lining up on the all-weather track.
Jeff Ruby Stakes Odds
| Tiz The Bomb | +250 |
| Blackadder | +400 |
| Royal Spirit | +600 |
| Stolen Base | +650 |
| Great Escape | +1000 |
| Red Run | +1000 |
| Tawny Port | +1200 |
| Dowagiac Chief | +1200 |
| Swing Shift | +1400 |
| Cabo Spirit | +1600 |
Jeff Ruby Stakes Details
- Distance: 1 1/8 Miles
- Time: 6:23 PM ET
- Where: Turfway Park
Jeff Ruby Stakes Contenders
Tiz The Bomb
There would be little surprise to see Tiz The Bomb at the top of the betting for this race as he is the most talented horse in this field. The three-year-old was last seen winning the John Battaglia Memorial on the synthetic surface at Turfway Park over 1 1/16 miles.
His turf record is exceptional, as he won the G2 Bourbon and Kentucky Downs Juvenile Mile last year before finishing second in the G1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf. However, clear reservations remain over his ability on the dirt, as he struggled to seventh in the G3 Holy Bull in February.
Blackadder
Blackadder is one of the four horses transferred from the Bob Baffert yard ahead of the final month of Kentucky Derby prep races. This three-year-old certainly has ability on the all-weather, having won the El Camino Real Derby over this distance at Golden Gate at the end of February. Unlike Tiz The Bomb, he has also shown solid form on the dirt over the past five months, as he won a maiden special weight over a mile at Santa Anita in December.
Cabo Spirit
Cabo Spirit is a horse that I like a lot, but connections really aren’t sure whether the horse performs better on the turf or dirt, and this is his first attempt on the all-weather. We last saw him finishing fifth over 1 1/16 miles on the dirt in the G2 San Felipe, while he was second over the same terrain and distance in the G3 Robert B. Lewis, behind Messier. He has already won twice on the turf, including at the beginning of this year over a mile in the Eddie Logan Stakes.
Red Run
Red Run is another that has flirted with both the turf and dirt to this point of his career. His best career victory came on his last start, as he held off a talented field, including Dowagiac Chief, to win the Texas Turf Mile at Houston. That performance saw him hit a speed figure of 101, and he is certainly showing plenty of improvement He has already run over slightly longer too, as he was second in an allowance optional claimer over 1 1/16 miles at Churchill Downs in November. I think he has a real chance to cause an upset here, and would be the outside pick.
Jeff Ruby Stakes Predictions
- Win: Tiz The Bomb
- Outsider: Red Run
