Jeff Ruby Steaks 2025 Analysis

By Jarrod Horak

The Grade 3, $777,000 Jeff Ruby Steaks is the 12th race at Turfway Park on Saturday, March 22. A dozen horses were entered in this Kentucky Derby 2025 points race, plus one also-eligible, and Poster is the 3-1 morning line favorite.

Jeff Ruby Analysis

Baby Max was part of the exacta in his last four starts. He stalked and scored in the Leonatus on Jan. 18, and stalked the pace and landed the place as my top choice in the John Battaglia Memorial on Feb. 22. He adds blinkers and drilled a half-mile bullet for this on March 12. A stalking trip is expected under his winning rider Abel Cedillo.

Poster won his first two flat mile turf starts, and switched to dirt and captured the Grade 2 Remsen. He rallied for the show in the Sam F. Davis behind John Hancock and Owen Almighty on Feb. 8, and the latter returned to win the Grade 3 Tampa Bay Derby. He has been stabled at Turfway all along and should be finishing in his second start of the season.

He’s Not Joking was nowhere in the Kentucky Jockey Club (G2) and Holy Bull (G3) in his last pair. He ran well in all four synthetic starts last year including a 4-length victory in the Grey (G3) in November. The closer is back on preferred footing but he has not run a quality race in more than four months and the post is no bargain. I would not be surprised to see him bounce back on all-weather ground.

Maximum Promise had an uncomfortable start and ran on for the show (beaten 6 lengths) in the Battaglia Memorial on Feb. 22. He might have a forward move in him in his third start after a layoff.

California Burrito went all the way in his last two local routes including the Battaglia Memorial. He is getting faster and should face pace pressure.

Charlie’s to Blame wired the field in his last two turf routes including a head victory in the Kitten’s Joy at 1 1/16 miles on turf at Gulfstream on Feb. 1. This is his first all-weather race and he figures to impact the pace under his winning maiden pilot Juan Hernandez.

Flying Mohawk won his last two starts at 1 1/16 miles on turf. He continues to get faster and we will see if he handles the new footing.

Giocoso finished last of 12 in the Grade 2 Risen Star last time and that is why he is not in the LA Derby. He has done his best work on turf and his form looks much better if you ignore his dirt and stakes starts. He did land the show in the Iroquois (G3), the first Kentucky Derby points race last September (beaten 7 lengths).

Jeff Ruby Wagers

#6 to Win

Exacta box 6-9

Trifecta 6-9/6-9-10-12/2-3-5-6-7-9-10-12

Jeff Ruby Video