2025 John Battaglia Memorial Betting Odds and Contenders Preview

The John Battaglia Memorial has been a fixture of the Turfway Park meet since 1982, though it was not one of the original Kentucky Derby points races in the 2012-2013 season. Instead, it was only added to the series in 2021. However, its profile is on the rise. It offers 20-10-6-4-2 points to its top five finishers, and the $175,000 purse reflects a $25,000 uptick from the 2024 amount.

The race, which covers 1 1/16 miles on Turfway’s Tapeta track, is a local prep for the $700,000 Jeff Ruby Steaks (G3), a 1 ⅛-mile race on March 22 with 100 Kentucky Derby points for the winner. The Battaglia drew an overflow field in 2025: 12 in the main field, plus two on the also-eligible list who will only run if there are some defections from the main field.

No recent winner of the Battaglia has made an impact in the Kentucky Derby, but some quality horses have been among its recent winners. Encino (2024) went on to win the Lexington (G3) at Keeneland before being scratched from the Kentucky Derby, and both Tiz the Bomb (2022) and Surgical Strike (2016) went on to be graded-stakes winners on the grass.

John Battaglia Memorial Stakes 2025 Information

• Race Date: Saturday, February 22, 2025
• Track: Turfway Park
• Post Time: 8:55 p.m. Eastern Standard Time
• Distance: 1 1/16 miles
• Age/Sex: three-year-olds
• Where to Watch: FanDuel TV
• Where to Bet: FanDuel Racing

John Battaglia Memorial Odds

This is the field for the 2025 John Battaglia Memorial at Turfway Park, including post positions, trainers, and jockeys. The morning-line odds have not yet been released, though we will update that information when it becomes available.

Special Caliber and Maitre D are on the also-eligible list. They need one and two scratches from the main field, respectively, before being allowed to run.

John Battaglia Memorial Prep Results

Among the twelve horses in the main field, eight most recently raced in stakes company. Three come out of the Leonatus, the one-mile local prep for the Battaglia. Baby Max got a sweet tracking trip to win the race, Shan set the pace before flattening to third, and Banks crossed the wire seventh after never firing. Coming In Hot also comes from a stakes race at Turfway Park; he was last seen winning the 6 ½-furlong Turfway Prevue Stakes on January 4.

Four more come out of stakes races on dirt, all of which offered points on the road to the Kentucky Derby. First Resort has not raced since last November, but he looks like the class of the field since that last-out win came in the Kentucky Jockey Club (G2) at Churchill Downs. Maximum Promise and Calling Card were fifth and eighth, respectively, behind Disco Time in the Lecomte (G3) on January 18 at Fair Grounds. Studlydoright was most recently fourth behind Cyclone State as the favorite in the Jerome at Aqueduct on January 4.

Two others prevailed against winners in non-stakes engagements in their most recent starts. California Burrito defeated allowance company in a one-mile race at Turfway Park on January 24. Brereton’s Baytown won against $40,000, claiming company going 1 1/16 miles in the mud at Laurel on February 1.

The other two in the main field come out of maiden-breaking wins. Spirit Rags graduated February 1 at Turfway going a mile, finally getting his first win at 11th asking. King of Ashes won by a neck at 1 1/16 miles on the Gulfstream Tapeta on January 18, putting it together at third asking.

On the also-eligible list, Special Caliber comes into the race out of a maiden win at a mile on the Turfway Park Tapeta, which came January 18 at third asking. Maitre D most recently finished a trailing sixth and last in the Swale at Gulfstream on February 1.

<H3>John Battaglia Memorial Contenders</H3>

These are the contenders in the 2025 John Battaglia Memorial, organized by post position:

1. Spirit Rags: It took him 11 tries to break his maiden, but he has been a new horse in his last three starts, his only ones over the Tapeta at Turfway Park. However, the waters get much deeper here. He faces stakes horses, and he is mired down on the inside. His two-back second suggests he might not be one-way speed, at least as far as hitting the board, but he will have to run a career-best after either gunning it hard from the inside, doing the dirty work inside horses, or dealing with traffic. It’s a lot to ask.
2. Shan: He rallied for third two back in an allowance-optional claiming race after blowing the break, but he does his best work on the front end. He won’t be alone there, drawn just outside of Spirit Rags and with a few other horses outside him with pace. It’s also not a positive that he flattened out late in the Leonatus, his first two-turn try. He’ll be a pace factor early, but it would be a surprise to see him involved near the end.
3. Studlydoright: One of the more precocious horses in his class, he has been well beaten in his last two, including when sent off the favorite in the Jerome on January 4. His pedigree suggests that two turns should be within his abilities, but he still needs to prove that on race day, and prove that he has kept up with his class. Both sides of his pedigree do suggest he could step forward at three, and he has proven he can pass some horses, so he’s not impossible (especially at this class). But, demand a square price, especially first-time Tapeta.
4. Calling Card: He demolished New York-breds three starts back at Aqueduct, but never looked a winner either in an allowance race at Oaklawn or in the Lecomte at Fair Grounds. He has a decent turf effort at two turns, suggesting Tapeta could suit him just fine. Still, he is hoping that the speed in this race locks up and gives him something to fire into. Tapeta is also a serious question, as his pedigree is very dirt-oriented.
5. California Burrito: He cleared his first-level condition last out after setting a downright languid pace. However, he broke his maiden from a few lengths off the pace, and had never set the early pace in any of his other races, suggesting that jockey Irving Moncada just took advantage of having the best horse last out. He won’t default into a lead this time, however, and will have a harder time in his stakes debut.
6. Banks: He was favored in the Leonatus, the local prep for this race, but came up completely empty and finished seventh. He does have two wins over the local course already, rainer Joe Sharp is high-percentage at Turfway, and it’s a suggestion of faith that he keeps Banks in stakes company. However, he needs to not only bounce back from a baffling non-effort, but run his best race to date in order to be a win candidate. In short, there’s some upside but demand a price.
7. Baby Max: He missed by a head two back in his first start over the local course, but got a beautiful track-and-pounce trip to win the Leonatus, the local prep for this race. From a nice middle gate, that could be a good trip in this race as well, especially with a small handful of horses likely to go ahead and set the pace. The stretch to 1 1/16 miles is no concern either, as he won over that distance on the dirt at Churchill Downs last November.
8. King of Ashes: In his first start off an almost-two-month freshening, King of Ashes shed his maiden label, getting up by a neck on the Gulfstream Tapeta in a race that had been washed off the turf. Tapeta form at different tracks does tend to transfer well, so he should be able to handle the surface at Turfway. However, he will need a step forward, especially against not only winners but stakes horses who were originally intended to run on this surface. But, he can pass horses and has upside for high-percentage connections.
9. First Resort: The class of the field, he makes his first start since winning the Kentucky Jockey Club in November at Churchill Downs. He proved something important in that race: his maiden win came on the front end, but that stakes win came from a stalking spot under Luis Saez, who returns for this. The bigger question is surface, since his only off-the-board finish came on the turf last September. But, that was a Grade 1 race, sire Uncle Mo’s progeny have been versatile as to surface, and dam Fair Maiden (an eventual Grade 1 winner herself, on dirt) raised eyebrows with a dazzling maiden score on synthetic at Arlington.
10. Coming In Hot: Ironically given his name, it took Coming In Hot a few starts to find his footing. However, he has won three of his last four, including two straight on the Tapeta at Turfway. Distance is the question: both of those wins, an allowance score and a stakes victory, came at sprint trips. To his credit, he can pass horses, even when the pace in front of him is honest but not torrid. Distance is the question; he has never gone past 6 ½ furlongs. Most of the class in his female family has been sprinting, though his one other sibling to race won at two turns.
11. Brereton’s Baytown: Cross-entered in the Rebel and the Battaglia, he’ll be a long shot in either spot. He has won two of his last three starts, but one was a maiden race at Charles Town and then his last-out win came against $40,000 claimers. Both of those came on wet dirt tracks as well, meaning he’s got something to prove anywhere else. It is a positive that he won his first route-distance try last out, albeit against inferior company, but it will also be his first try on Tapeta, and trainer Paul McEntee is running cold at Turfway this meet.
12. Maximum Promise: Back in August he led at every call and demolished a maiden field by 14 ½ lengths going a mile at Ellis; second-place Extradition came back to win by daylight in a maiden special at Churchill, suggesting some quality. He ran only fifth in the Lecomte in January, but he was closing up ground late and missed by only 2 ½ lengths for the whole thing—not bad for his first race since August. Trainer Kenny McPeek often races horses back into shape anyway, suggesting that as long as he can handle a synthetic surface he has a lot of upside in this spot.
13. Special Caliber (also-eligible): He woke up trying two turns for the first time, winning a one-mile maiden special weight race over this course on January 18 at 45-1 odds. It was a step forward from his two sprint efforts, though still gives him a lot to find in order to be competitive against horses of this quality. There is also the question of Lasix: he used it for the first time in his maiden win, though he was without it in his first two efforts, and has to go without in this spot.
14. Maitre D (also-eligible): He graduated on debut in a maiden special weight at Turfway in December, but was a complete no-show in the Swale over the dirt at gulfstream in December. The return to a Tapeta surface is a positive, and trainer Doug O’Neill can move horses forward when stretching out to a two-turn trip. However, he will be doing it from a challenging gate against the toughest field of his career.

John Battaglia Memorial Past Winners Past Performances

Winners of the John Battaglia Memorial come from many places; there is no set path to winning this race. Four of the last ten winners come out of graded stakes, though only two of them hit the board. Somelikeithotbrown (2019) made his first start since running third in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf, Congruent (2023) came out of a third-place run in the Kitten’s Joy (G3) on the Gulfstream lawn, Tiz the Bomb (2022) was seventh in the Holy Bull (G3), and Royal Son (2015) was seventh in the Sam F. Davis (G3). One other recent winner came out of an ungraded stake: Surgical Strike (2016) had most recently run third in the WEBN, a local prep stakes at Turfway at the time.

Three of the other five winners from the last ten years came out of allowance company. Two of them won that last prep: Hush of a Storm (2021) at Turfway, and It’s Your Nickel (2017) on the Fair Grounds dirt. Upset winner Magicalmeister (2018) came out of a third-place run in an allowance at Turfway.

Only two winners in the last ten years have come out of a maiden race, and both of them graduated at Turfway Park. Invader (2020) came out of a maiden special weight at a flat mile, while Encino (2024) won at 1 1/16 miles at the same level.

John Battaglia Memorial Undercard

The John Battaglia Memorial is the seventh of ten races on Saturday evening at Turfway, and the only stakes race on the card. However, there are big fields all day long at the track, with double-digit fields in all but one of the races on Saturday evening’s card. Make sure to watch all day on FanDuel TV and make your bets 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 John Battaglia Memorial 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 John Battaglia Memorial, 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!

John Battaglia Memorial FAQ

Q: When is the John Battaglia Memorial?

A: The 2025 John Battaglia Memorial takes place Saturday, February 22, at 8:55 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. It is the seventh of nine races on the card.

Q: Where is the John Battaglia Memorial?

A: It takes place at Turfway Park in Florence, Kentucky.

Q: Which trainer has the most wins in the John Battaglia Memorial?

A: Kenny McPeek leads all trainers with three victories in the John Battaglia Memorial, most recently with Tiz the Bomb in 2022. McPeek can extend his record to four wins with Maximum Promise.

Q: Who is the favorite for the 2025 John Battaglia Memorial?

A: Off of his Grade 2 win as a juvenile, First Resort has been named the 2-1 morning-line favorite for trainer Eoin Harty and should hold as the favorite to post time.

Q: Who is the best John Battaglia Memorial jockey?

A: No jockey has won the John Battaglia Memorial more than twice. The two-time winners include Albin Jimenez, Willie Martinez, Michael McDowell, John McKee, Orlando Mojica, Brian Peck, Rodney Prescott, and Charles Woods. Jimenez, who most recently won the race in 2020 with Invader, can take the record for himself if he guides Shan to victory.

Q: Who won the 2024 John Battaglia Memorial?

A: Encino won the 2024 edition of the Battaglia for trainer Brad Cox and jockey Axel Concepcion. Neither Cox nor Concepcion have an entry in 2025.

Looking for more horse racing betting opportunities? Head over to FanDuel Racing to see all of today’s horse racing odds.

Sign up for FanDuel Sportsbook and FanDuel Daily Fantasy today!