2024 Jeff Ruby Steaks Betting

By TVG Staff

Updated: March 19, 2024

Horses who do their best work on synthetic footings still have a chance for a spot in the Kentucky Derby: the 2024 Jeff Ruby Steaks (G3) will be run on March 23, 2024, at Turfway Park! The mile and an eighth race offers a purse of $700,000, and it drew an full field of twelve runners. It is also an important Kentucky Derby Prep Race: points are given 100-50-25-15-10 to its top five finishers, meaning the winner gets into the Derby and the second-place horse is all but guaranteed a spot there, too.

The Jeff Ruby Steaks is open to three-year-old colts, geldings, or fillies, though only colts and geldings entered the race. Two winners of the race have come back to win the Kentucky Derby throughout its history: Lil E. Tee (1992) when the race was still on dirt, and Animal Kingdom (2011) over synthetic. The race took a surprising role in 2022, as well: Rich Strike finished third behind Tiz the Bomb in the Jeff Ruby, but won the Run for the Roses in his next start! It had a strong showing in 2023 as well, with winner Two Phil’s running a strong second in the Kentucky Derby.

The morning line is an estimation of what the tote board will look like come race day. However, things can change based on scratches, news about the horses, how horses look before the race, or just differing opinions from the betting public. Your best bet is to watch TVG for up-to-the-minute news and coverage, keep your eye on the tote board, and find your overlay!

About Turfway Park

Turfway Park is located in Florence, Kentucky, a twenty-minute drive from downtown Cincinnati, Ohio. Opened in 1959 as Latonia Racecourse, the track has been known by its current name since 1986, after a change of ownership. Nowadays, it is Kentucky’s winter track, typically running from early December through early April.

It is a popular destination for trainers in Kentucky and throughout the midwest. After the success of historical racing in Kentucky through the last decade, purses have been on the upswing and more prominent trainers are making it their winter home. The new grandstand opened in September 2022, meaning people can once again come experience live racing at the track!

Turfway Park has one track; though it was originally dirt, it is now a synthetic footing. In 2005, Turfway became the first in the United States to install polytrack. After fifteen years of a polytrack footing, Turfway replaced it with Tapeta in 2020. When handicapping Turfway, there is a good chance that horses who like another Tapeta surface at Woodbine, Presque Isle, or Golden Gate will take well to Turfway, too.

Jeff Ruby Steaks Prep Results

There are only two Road to the Kentucky Derby points races at Turfway Park, a shorter segment of the Kentucky Derby trail than many other tracks. The local prep for the Jeff Ruby Steaks, and the only other points race at Turfway, is the John Battaglia Memorial Stakes. A $150,000 race, it is run at a mile and a sixteenth on the Tapeta.

Surprisingly, though, no horse from the 2024 edition of the Battaglia Memorial returns for the Jeff Ruby. Instead, the field comes from far and wide, including Derby preps like the Sam F. Davis (G3) and the Rebel (G2), turf races like the Colonel Liam and the Kitten’s Joy (G3), and even other synthetic races like the El Camino Real Derby.

Jeff Ruby Steaks Contenders

With the Jeff Ruby Steaks field all set, here are the leading contenders from the 12-horse field:

• Agate Road: This well-proven lawnmower for trainer Todd Pletcher tried dirt at Tampa Bay Downs last month, and finished a close and gaining second in the Sam F. Davis (G3). That class and versatility could carry him to a good performance on Tapeta as well, though his tendency to do his best work late makes him vulnerable in the likely event that the pace is not hot.

  • Endlessly: The morning-line favorite, Endlessly comes in off of a win over the same 1 ⅛-mile distance as the Jeff Ruby. Though that came over Tapeta at Golden Gate fields, Tapeta form at different tracks tends to transfer well due to consistent maintenance. With tactical versatility and stamina, he shapes as a major threat for Michael McCarthy.

  • Lucky Jeremy: He flattened late after doing the dirty work up front in the Sunland Park Derby (G3), but showed in the Riley Allison the month before that he can win from a stalking spot, too. If this Bill Morey trainee works that kind of trip under sharp local rider Gerardo Corrales, the stamina in his pedigree could carry him to the frame.

  • Noted: He disappointed in the Kitten’s Joy last out, but he has a lot of other stakes-level form on both dirt and turf that suggests he is good enough for this group. His trainer, Todd Pletcher, has won three editions of this race as well. He has also shown some tactical versatility, a positive with a race with some speed but not an overwhelming lot.

  • Otello: He cedes experience to many of these foes with only three starts underneath him. But, he gets a class drop from the Holy Bull, he has a good tracking style, and his pedigree suggests 1 ⅛ miles or even longer could suit him well. Furthermore, being by surface-versatile Curlin out of turf mare Isabella Sings, this Christophe Clement trainee has every right to take to Tapeta.

  • Seize the Grey: Watch the price: he may end up getting overbet because of his large ownership group through MyRacehorse, but if he stays near or even a little above his morning line this D. Wayne Lukas trainee has upside. He has tactical speed, his sophomore debut was a sharp allowance win at Oaklawn, and his pedigree suggests the extra distance can bring even better form.

Jeff Ruby Steaks Past Winners Past Performances

Lil E. Tee (1992) and Animal Kingdom (2011) both won this race and the Kentucky Derby. When Lil E. Tee won it, the racecourse at Turfway was still a dirt surface. Animal Kingdom, on the other hand, won this race over synthetic before making the grade in Kentucky. He won the Derby in his first start over a dirt surface! Rich Strike (2022) only finished third in the Jeff Ruby Steaks, but he stepped up in his next start to take the blanket of roses in Kentucky as well. The next year, Two Phil’s (2023) finished an excellent second in the Kentucky Derby off of a win in the Jeff Ruby.

These are far from the only stars who have won the Jeff Ruby Steaks. Superstar mare Serena’s Song (1995) won when it was still called the Jim Beam; she went on to beat males again in the Haskell (G1). Other horses who made noise on the Triple Crown trail after winning this race include Summer Squall (1990), Hansel (1991), Prairie Bayou (1993), and Hard Spun (2007).

More recently, this race has also produced horses who went on to be important turf horses. Oscar Nominated (2016) was a fixture in graded turf stakes for several years after winning this race. Multiple graded stakes winners Somelikeithotbrown (2019), Field Pass (2020), and Tiz the Bomb (2022) are still in training and fixtures in top-quality turf races.

Post Time for the Jeff Ruby Steaks

The 2024 Jeff Ruby Steaks will go off at 6:25 pm Eastern Daylight Time, as the twelfth out of thirteen races on Turfway’s signature card.

Points-wise, it is one of the most important Kentucky Derby prep races of the year. The 100-point haul for the winner guarantees them a spot in the Derby starting gate. The second-place horse gets 50 points, virtually guaranteeing them a spot in the Run for the Roses as well. With 25 points for third, 25 points for fourth, and 10 points for fifth, even the lower placings can put a horse on the right track toward Kentucky.

Jeff Ruby Steaks Undercard

The card March 23 at Turfway features six stakes races including the Jeff Ruby Steaks. The Bourbonette Oaks is always another highlight! A one and one-sixteenth-mile race for three-year-old fillies, the $300,000 race is part of the Road to the Kentucky Oaks. With 50-20-15-10-5 points available to the top four finishers, the winner is virtually guaranteed a chance for the lilies and even the second-place horse gets in good position.

Other stakes races on the card include the Rushaway for three-year-old route horses, the Animal Kingdom for three-year-old sprinters, the Kentucky Cup Classic for older horses, and the Latonia for older mares.

Turfway Park History

The track we know today as Turfway Park began its life as Latonia Race Course in 1959. It took that name from another track, also called Latonia, that had existed from 1883 until 1939, just ten miles away. When the race was sold to a new ownership group led by Jerry Carroll, the track’s name changed to its current one, Turfway Park.

The race now called the Jeff Ruby Steaks dates back to 1972, when the track was still called Latonia. General manager John Battaglia, now the namesake of the other Kentucky Derby points race at Turfway, created a race called the Spiral Stakes. It was intended as a prep where promising three-year-olds could then “spiral” up to the Blue Grass and then the Kentucky Derby.

Since that beginning, the race has been known by several names: the Spiral, the Jim Beam Stakes, the Galleryfurniture.com Stakes, and the Lane’s End Stakes. In 2018 it took its current cheeky name: the Jeff Ruby Steaks, named for its current sponsor, a midwestern steakhouse chain named after its flamboyant founder. Despite this litany of names, one thing has remained the same: this race is the centerpiece of the Turfway Park meet!

Jeff Ruby Steaks FAQ

Q: When is the 2024 Jeff Ruby Steaks?

A: The race will be run on Saturday, March 23, 2024.

Q: Where is the Jeff Ruby Steaks?

A: The race is run at Turfway Park in Florence, Kentucky.

Q: Which trainer has the most wins in the Jeff Ruby Steaks?

A: William E. Adams, often called “Smiley,” has won this race seven times. He did so in a span of just four years: in its early history the race drew enough horses to split into two divisions, and in 1977, 1978, and 1980 he won both divisions! (No wonder he was smiling.)   

Among active trainers, Mike Maker leads with six winners, but he has no runner in 2024. Todd Pletcher leads all trainers entered in the 2024 edition with three previous winners. He has up to three chances to win this year: Agate Road, Noted, and the also-eligible Triple Espresso.

Q: Who is the favorite for the Jeff Ruby Steaks?

A: Endlessly, who won the El Camino Real Derby at 1 ⅛ miles on the Golden Gate Fields Tapeta, is the 5-2 morning-line favorite for trainer Michael McCarthy and jockey Umberto Rispoli. Given his stamina, tactical versatility, and trainer’s strong record with shippers, expect him to hold favoritism.

Q: Who is the best jockey in the Jeff Ruby Steaks?

A: Pat Day won the race five times between 1984 and 1992. No jockey in this year’s Jeff Ruby Steaks has won the race before, though high-percentage locally-based riders like Luan Machado (Woodcourt), Adam Beschizza (Freedom Principle), and Gerardo Corrales (Lucky Jeremy) may be able to help their horses outrun their odds.

Q: Who won the Jeff Ruby Steaks in 2023?
A: Two Phil’s, for trainer Larry Rivelli and jockey Jareth Loveberry, Jr., won the 2023 Jeff Ruby Steaks.