2025 Jeff Ruby Steaks Betting Odds and Contenders Preview

The Turfway meet reaches its crescendo on Saturday, March 22, with the Jeff Ruby Steaks (G3). (No, the cheeky name is not a typo, but rather the result of a sponsorship from flashy midwestern steakhouse impresario Jeff Ruby.) The race covers 1 ⅛ miles on the Tapeta, and the purse has risen to $777,000 this year: $550,000 available to anyone, and an extra $227,000 in Kentucky-bred money available to all but one of the 13 entrants.

In addition to the big purse, the race offers 100-50-25-25-10 points to the top five finishers. This virtually assures the top two finishers a trip to Churchill Downs for the run for the roses, and others can also make it to Kentucky if they have run well in other preps.

Despite being on Tapeta and not the conventional dirt of the Triple Crown, it has been a live Kentucky Derby prep in recent years. Two Phil’s won this race in 2023 and finished a close second on the first Saturday in May, while Rich Strike finished third in 2022 before winning the fastest two minutes in sports.

Delving further back in history, when the race was called the Spiral Stakes or the Jim Beam Stakes, several others have made an impact in the Triple Crown. Lil E. Tee won this race in 1992 when it was still on dirt, and won the Kentucky Derby. Animal Kingdom won it on synthetic in 2011, then won the Kentucky Derby first-time dirt. Two others won this race, finished second in the Kentucky Derby, and won the Preakness: Summer Squall (1991) and Prairie Bayou (1993).

Jeff Ruby Steaks 2025 Information

• Race Date: Saturday, March 22, 2025
• Track: Turfway Park in Florence, KY
• Post Time: 6:25 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time
• Distance: 1 1/8 miles
• Age/Sex: three-year-olds
• Where to Watch: FanDuel TV, CNBC
• Where to Bet: FanDuel Racing

Jeff Ruby Steaks Odds

This is the field for the 2025 Jeff Ruby Steaks, including post positions, trainers, jockeys, and morning-line odds for each runner:

Jeff Ruby Steaks Prep Results

The 13 entrants for the Jeff Ruby Steaks come out of 11 different races. Fittingly, the race with more than one last-out runner is the John Battaglia Memorial on February 22, the local prep race for the Jeff Ruby. The top three finishers all return here: California Burrito, Baby Max, and Maximum Promise.

Five others come out of other Kentucky Derby points races, though only two finished high enough to gain points in those outings. Poster was most recently third behind John Hancock in the Sam F. Davis, while He’s Not Joking caught a few points when he was a well-beaten fifth behind Burnham Square in the Holy Bull (G3) at Gulfstream. Calling Card will try to bounce back from a seventh-place effort in the Gotham (G3) at Aqueduct, Giocoso was most recently 12th in the Risen Star (G2) at Fair Grounds, and Innovator was 12th in the Rebel Stakes (G2) at Oaklawn.

The only horse to come out of a non-points stakes is Charlie’s to Blame. He won the Kitten’s Joy Stakes on February 1 at Gulfstream, his stakes debut. He tries a synthetic for the first time in the Jeff Ruby.

The other four entrants come from non-stakes races. Two last raced in allowance-optional claiming company: Flying Mohawk won at 1 1/16 miles on the Fair Grounds grass on January 30, while Curvino chased on for third in a 1 1/16-mile race on the Oaklawn dirt on February 24. The other two entrants come out of maiden company. Final Gambit earned his diploma going a mile at Turfway on February 15, while also-eligible Candytown was most recently a close second at Tampa Bay Downs, missing by ¾ lengths in a one mile, forty-yard race.

Jeff Ruby Steaks Contenders

These are the contenders in the 2025 Jeff Ruby Steaks, organized by post position:

1. Calling Card: Calling Card impressed with a blowout maiden win in November against New York-breds, but he has yet to be a threat in three separate starts against open company. He might be finding a class ceiling, or perhaps even a distance ceiling, as so many of the Complexity progeny have so far. Synthetic is also a question, as his pedigree is quite dirt-oriented.
2. Charlie’s to Blame: He has the stamina pedigree, and turf form tends to shift well to Tapeta, but there will be challenges. There isn’t a confounding amount of speed in this race, but there are still a couple of fast horses outside of him that will make him gun it from the near-inside post and try to carry his speed all the way around. His second-place finish three back suggests that he has some kind of a stalking gear, but in both his starts where he’s drawn toward the inside, he has played catch-me-if-you-can.
3. California Burrito: He led at every call when clearing his N1X condition two back, as well as when he won the Battaglia last out. It’s good that he can battle up front, as there is other speed, and it’s also good that he can pass horses if he needs, as he showed in that maiden win back in September. The draw may be a challenge, as he’s sandwiched between pace horses and mired toward the inside. He’s a big factor if he can replicate the Battaglia, but it won’t be an easy task, the price will be short, and the Battaglia was a big enough move up that he might bounce.
4. Final Gambit: It took him three starts to get off the mark, but he did so last out at Turfway and now he steps up to the big time. The good news is that he can handle the Turfway footing, and that he has run well both from a closing style and from near the pace. He also has a nice pedigree for the stretch out. The issue is that he takes a class rise and he will need to go much faster than he ever has—but the price won’t be much, as his trainer Brad Cox always gets heavily bet.
5. Flying Mohawk: It took him four starts to figure things out, but his last two races have been good-looking wins on the turf: a stalk-and-pounce maiden win two back, and then an allowance win rallying from further back last out at Fair Grounds. He did both in fast enough fashion to suggest he can fit here with a modest step up. Synthetic will be a new challenge, but turf form can translate and damsire Twirling Candy is a very nice synthetic influence. In short, there’s appeal at a price.
6. Baby Max: He has done well at Turfway this meet, with a win in the Leonatus and second-place finishes in both an N1X three back and the Battaglia last out. It’s a concern that he wasn’t able to outbattle California Burrito last out. However, if California Burrito has a harder time up front this time than last time, there is some chance he can turn the tables.
7. Giocoso: He finished his sophomore season with a nice allowance win on the Churchill dirt, though came up totally empty in his three-year-old debut, a return in the Risen Star. However, there’s upside: last year he was a no-show on debut but did much better second out. He also gets a surface switch: that last race was on dirt, and now he switches to synthetic, a new challenge but one that often suits turf horses like him. He needs a major step forward to be a win contender, but Keith Desormeaux often outruns his odds switching to synthetic, which means he could spice up exotics.
8. Innovator: He came close at long odds in the Lecomte (G3) on slop two back, but emptied out completely in the Rebel (G2) next out. He has a faster-race, slower-race pattern emerging in his last few races; if that continues he could be ready for a faster one, though even then he will need a career best to be a win candidate for this one. He also does his best when he makes the lead: at least he is at the outside of the pace, but it’ll be a tough assignment with the likes of Charlie’s to Blame and California Burrito keeping him company.
9. Poster: He tasted defeat for the first time last out in the Sam F. Davis, rallying from well off of it to get third but not threatening John Hancock or Owen Almighty. The stretch back out to 1 ⅛ miles helps, as he won at that distance two back in the Remsen. He also has a good chance to handle synthetic, as he has back form on both turf and dirt. Especially if he can work out a trip like he did in the Remsen or even his allowance win three back at Keeneland, instead of dropping back as far as he did at Tampa, he has a serious chance.
10. Maximum Promise: He romped three back in a maiden race at Ellis, took a long winter off, and has run in Kentucky Derby points races in his last two. He has rallied for minor checks in both of those races, most recently a third-place finish in the Battaglia. If the early speed gets hotter in this race than it did in the Battaglia, a likely scenario, he should have a bit more to close into. However, he will also have to improve from a speed perspective, so watch the price before diving in.
11. Curvino: He has raced nine times, making him one of the most experienced horses in the field, though this is his first time in stakes company. His only win so far came in a $100,000 maiden claimer three back in the Oaklawn mud, but he followed that up with a good second in an allowance-optional claiming race there, and then a third at the same level. He has some decent maiden tries on turf as well, suggesting this surface switch could help, but he needs a step forward from anything he has done so far.
12. He’s Not Joking: He has been well beaten in two Kentucky Derby points races on dirt so far, but his form on the Woodbine Tapeta last year was much better. If he can run back to his victory in the Grey (G2), his only two-turn Tapeta start, he could be very well suited to this—the bad news is that this is a tougher field, but the good news is that race came back very fast and Tapeta form tends to transfer well between different racecourses that have it. That gives him some long-shot appeal.
13. Candytown: Candytown needs one scratch to get into the field. If he does, he has a tall hill to climb: both of his races so far have been fine, but they’ve been second-place finishes in maiden company and they’ve both suggested he needs to find some better form in order to beat the top contenders in this spot. He’d probably be overbet, given the connections, as well, meaning he is unlikely to provide any betting value.

Jeff Ruby Steaks Past Winners Past Performances

Winners of the Jeff Ruby come from a wide range of places, but every winner from the last ten years has come from stakes company.

The only repeat, unsurprisingly, is the Battaglia. Somelikeithotbrown (2019) won that local prep before winning the Jeff Ruby, while Like the King (2021) was second in that prep.

However, Gulfstream Park has been the best place to look for winners of this race. The aforementioned Black Onyx captured his allowance win there. Turf stakes at Gulfstream have been a live source of Jeff Ruby winners in recent years: Dubai Sky (2015) won the Kitten’s Joy, Field Pass won the Dania Beach (G3), and Fast And Accurate (2017) won the Sage of Monticello, a $35,000 starter stakes on the Gulfstream grass. Tiz the Bomb (2022) came out of a seventh-place finish in the Holy Bull (G3), a Kentucky Derby points race on the dirt at Gulfstream.

Rounding out the last ten winners, Oscar Nominated (2016) won the Black Gold at Fair Grounds, Two Phil’s (2023) was third in the Risen Star (G2) at Fair Grounds, Endlessly (2024) won the El Camino Real at Golden Gate, and Blended Citizen (2018) was third in the El Camino Real (G3) at Golden Gate.

Jeff Ruby Steaks Undercard

The Jeff Ruby Steaks is the 12th of 13 races on Saturday’s flagship card at Turfway Park. In addition to the feature, the card includes five other stakes races. The $300,000 Bourbonette Oaks offers its winner 50 Kentucky Oaks points, meaning the winner is guaranteed a spot, and other horses who run well may also make the field. Other stakes races include the $300,000 Kentucky Cup Classic (G3) for other route horses, the $250,000 Latonia for older fillies and mares at two turns, the $250,000 Rushaway for two-turn sophomores who are not quite ready for the Derby trail, and the $250,000 Animal Kingdom for three-year-old sprinters.

The Turfway card features big fields and great betting opportunities all day, so tune in at FanDuel TV and place your bets online at FanDuel!

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 at Churchill Downs.

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 event is the centerpiece of the Turfway Park racing meet!

Jeff Ruby Steaks FAQ

Q: When and where is the Jeff Ruby Steaks?

A: The 2025 Jeff Ruby happens Saturday, March 22 at 6:25 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time at Turfway Park in Florence, Ky. It is the 12th of 13 scheduled races on the card.

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

A: Dating back to its time as the Spiral Stakes, William E. Adams has seven wins in the race. Amazingly, all of them came between 1977 and 1980, as he won both divisions of the race in 1977, 1978, and 1980. Among trainers in the 2025 edition, Mike Maker leads with six wins, most recently with Field Pass in 2020. He can tie Adams’ record if Calling Card wins in 2025.

Q: Who is the favorite for the 2025 Jeff Ruby Steaks?

A: Poster, the Remsen winner who comes off of a third-place finish in the Sam F. Davis, is the 3-1 morning-line favorite for trainer Eoin Harty and jockey John Velazquez. The 7-2 second choice on the morning line is California Burrito for Tom Drury and Irving Moncada; he may challenge for favoritism since he won the local prep.

Q: Who is the best Jeff Ruby jockey?

A: With five wins between 1984 and 1992, the now-retired Pat Day leads all jockeys. Among jockeys riding in the 2025 edition John Velazquez leads with two wins. He can make it three if Poster wins, or possibly with Candytown if he draws in off the also-eligible list and Velazquez opts to ride him instead.

Q: Who won the 2024 Jeff Ruby Steaks?

A: Endlessly won the 2024 Jeff Ruby Steaks for trainer Michael McCarthy and jockey Umberto Rispoli. Neither returns to the race in 2025.

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