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Jeff Ruby Steaks: Landeros ‘A Big Plus’ For Derby Hopeful Gretzky The Great

Trainer Mark Casse sent Gretzky the Great to Turfway Park to take advantage of the track's new Tapeta synthetic surface. Now he hopes to take advantage of Turfway's signature race, Saturday's $250,000 Jeff Ruby Steaks, offering the maximum 100 points to the winner and 40 for the runner-up toward Kentucky Derby qualifying.

With Churchill Downs having purchased Turfway, the flagship track bumped the Grade 3 Jeff Ruby's points to the winner from 20 to 100 for the first time, on par with the biggest prep races: Fair Grounds' Louisiana Derby, Gulfstream's Florida Derby, Keeneland's Toyota Blue Grass, the Santa Anita Derby, Aqueduct's Wood Memorial and Oaklawn's Arkansas Derby. As a result, Saturday's winner is assured of making the 20-horse Derby field, with the runner-up likely in the race. The Jeff Ruby also will award 20 Derby qualifying points for third and 10 for fourth.

A capacity field of twelve 3-year-olds was entered for Saturday's 1 1/8-mile race, with the Rodolphe Brisset-trained Tarantino the 3-1 favorite, Turfway's John Battaglia Memorial winner Hush of a Storm 4-1 and Gretzky the Great 5-1. First post is 1:12 p.m. ET with a stakes six pack spanning races 6-11 on the 12-race closing card for Turfway's winter-spring meet. The Jeff Ruby is race 11 (6:25 p.m. ET).

Gretzky the Great, who finished third in the Battaglia in his first start this year, has raced only on turf and synthetic surfaces, winning Woodbine's Grade 1 Summer Stakes on grass and its $100,000 prep before finishing sixth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf. As a Canadian-bred, a major objective for him all along has been the $1 million Queen's Plate staged over Woodbine's Tapeta course, but that isn't until late summer.

However, Casse believes Gretzky the Great is bred to love a true dirt surface. Should he win the Jeff Ruby, it could be awfully tempting for owners Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Gary Barber to roll the dice at Churchill Downs, where Gretzky the Great's sire, Nyquist, won the 2016 Kentucky Derby.

Casse said that Gretzky the Great had minor ankle surgery after Breeders' Cup at Keeneland and was off until the Battaglia.

“The reason I sent Gretzky to Turfway is that I'm a big believer in Tapeta,” he said. “I just think it's much easier on them. After the Breeders' Cup, we missed some time with him. I knew that if I was going to make a dirt start that I was going to have to breeze him two or three more times. I went to the Battaglia simply because (the surface) is not as tiring. I was even concerned he was going to be a little short for the Battaglia, but I thought it would help him move forward. And then, the Jeff Ruby was definitely the next step.

“Is the Derby a possibility? I wouldn't rule it out. He would have to give us a tremendous performance, though, in the Jeff Ruby and then we'd have to come up with a plan on the Derby. But the Queen's Plate is definitely in our crosshairs.”

Gretzky the Great led most of the way after breaking on the rail in the Battaglia, tiring to third behind Hush of a Storm and Like the King, who also is in the Jeff Ruby.

“He definitely was a little short,” Casse said. “We drew the one hole. I told the rider, 'Look, I want you to put him into the race.' I don't like from the one hole letting horses run by you, and then they go in front of you and next thing you know you're last going (into the turn). Unfortunately, he caught some pressure from a long shot that ran head-and-head with him for three quarters of a mile. He put that horse away and then two more came at him — two more that had to be a lot fitter than we were. I was proud of our horse.”

Chris Landeros, who has ridden considerably for Casse while spending the winter riding at Turfway Park for the first time, rides Gretzky the Great for the first time in a race Saturday.

“I thought he tried and ran hard,” Casse said of the Battaglia. “But more importantly, he's trained very well since then. And I'm excited. I'm very happy we picked up Chris Landeros to ride him. In my opinion, nobody rides Turfway Park like Chris Landeros. So, I think that's a big plus for us.”

Casse, who also has Soup and Sandwich in Saturday's Florida Derby, already has secured one spot in the May 1 Kentucky Derby with Tampa Bay Derby winner Helium, a former workmate with Gretzky the Great. “I thought they were pretty comparable,” he said.

Landeros said he was aboard for Gretzky the Great's last two works at Turfway.

“He's been working really well,” he said. “I can't thank Mark and the owners enough for the opportunity. I really do think he's going to run a big race. His last race, it was the first time in a while he'd run. He needed the race and kind of got shut off a bit down the lane. He ran a game third, and I think he'll be ready to go.”

Landeros is hoping to cap a very good winter at Turfway with a big day Saturday. His 28 wins through Thursday rank No. 4, but his 25-percent win clip tops the leaders and he is narrowly in second behind Rafael Bejarano in purse earnings for the meet.

In addition to riding Gretzky the Great, he's riding Into Vanishing in the $150,000 Bourbonette Oaks, whose winner will receive 50 qualifying points toward the Kentucky Oaks. Landeros has been on Into Vanishing for the 3-year-old filly's two wins at Turfway Park for trainer Jonathan Thomas, who is 8 for 17 at Turfway's winter-spring meet.

Landeros said his agent and brother in law, Brodie Wilkes, back in October brought up the idea of staying in Kentucky for the winter.

“I was a little hesitant at first, but as the fall came and went, I thought it was the right move,” he said. “I kind of wanted to rebuild a little bit, get some local guys on our side so when we come back in the spring to Keeneland and Churchill, we have the best momentum possible for us. Because it's not easy; it's tough. But I got great support between Mark Casse, Ian Wilkes, Jonathan Thomas, Rodolphe Brisset – those guys gave me great opportunities and we made the most of it. It should set up shop for a good spring and summer.”

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Saturday’s Cross Country Pick 5 Features Races From Aqueduct, Turfway Park

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) will host a stakes-laden edition of the Cross Country Pick 5 on Saturday featuring racing action from Aqueduct Racetrack and Turfway Park in Florence, Kentucky.

Live coverage will be available with America's Day at the Races on FOX Sports. Free Equibase past performances for the Cross Country Pick 5 sequence are now available for download at https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/cross-country-wagers.

Opening the action-packed sequence is the $150,000 Kentucky Cup Classic at Turfway Park [Race 9, 5:10 p.m. Eastern] for 4-year-olds and upward going nine furlongs on the all-weather surface. Juddmonte Farm's Set Piece boasts a perfect record in two starts over the northern Kentucky oval. The Brad Cox-trained son of Dansili won his last Turfway start over Grade 1-placed Signalman in the Prairie Bayou on New Year's Eve. Breaking just to his inside from the rail is dual graded stakes winner Skywire for Hall of Famer Mark Casse. The Gary Barber and Lucio Tucci-owned son of Afleet Alex won last year's Eclipse and Autumn, both Grade 2, on Tapeta at Woodbine Racetrack and seeks to rebound after finishing seventh last out in the Prairie Bayou beaten 8 ½ lengths to Set Piece.

The Big A hosts the second leg where a dozen older horses will assemble for the $75,000 Stud Muffin, a 1 3/8-mile starter stakes. Trainer Rob Atras will saddle Michael Dubb's multiple stakes placed Musical Heart, who arrives off a sharp third-place effort to Mr. Buff in the Stymie on February 27. The son of Maclean's Music has finished on the board in his last seven starts. Carded as Race 9 on New York Claiming Championship Day at Aqueduct, the Stud Muffin has a scheduled post time of 5:34 p.m.

Action returns to Turfway for the middle leg where ten sophomore fillies chase Kentucky Oaks points in the $150,000 Bourbonette Oaks [Race 10, 5:45 p.m.] at a two-turn mile. The 20-8-4-2 Oaks qualifier features Susan Moulton's Oliviaofthedesert, who won the Trapeze at Remington Park two starts back for trainer Kenny McPeek. The gray or roan daughter of Bernardini is the lone horse in the field with a six-figure earning mark with a bankroll of $196,822. Hartwell Farm and SF Racing's Wait for Nairobi will defend her home territory after notching a stakes win in the Cincinnati Trophy at Turfway. The Rey Hernandez-trained Carpe Diem filly boasts a consistent 3-2-0-1 over all-weather surfaces.

The penultimate leg is the $45,000 Dads Caps, a starter stakes for older horses going seven furlongs in Race 9 at 6:10 p.m. at the Big A led by A. Bianco Holding's Skyler's Scramjet, who will look to build off a February 27 triumph over a sloppy track. Trained by A.C. Avila, the 7-year-old Creative Cause gray or roan gelding won the Grade 3 Tom Fool in 2018 and boasts the highest bankroll in the field with over a half-million in lifetime earnings. Also arriving off a win is Irving Rodriguez's Town Jak, who ships from Parx Racing for trainer Alan Bedard. The six-time winner has finished in the money in his last dozen starts, the most recent of which was a half-length victory on March 16 at Parx, where he defeated starter allowance company.

Concluding the stakes-filled Cross Country Pick 5 is the Grade 3, $250,000 Jeff Ruby Steaks at Turfway Park. The 100-40-20-10 Kentucky Derby qualifier has produced winners of the 'Run for the Roses' in Lil E. Tee [1992] and Animal Kingdom [2011]. This year, the nine-furlong event features Grade 1-winner Gretzky the Great for Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse and owners Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Gary Barber. The bay son of second crop sire Nyquist broke his maiden over the Woodbine Tapeta before taking the Grade 1 Summer over grass at the Toronto oval. Trainer William Morey will saddle New York-bred Hush of a Storm, who seeks back-to-back stakes wins after taking the John Battaglia Memorial on February 26 last out. The Jeff Ruby Steaks is carded as Race 11 on Turfway's program with a 6:25 p.m. post.

The minimum bet for the multi-track, multi-race wager is 50 cents. Wagering on the Cross Country Pick 5 is also available on ADW platforms and at simulcast facilities across the country. Every week will feature a mandatory payout of the net pool. The Cross Country Pick 5 will continue each Saturday throughout the year. For more information, visit NYRABets.com.

Cross Country Pick 5 – Saturday March 27:
Leg A: Turfway Park – Race 9, Kentucky Cup Classic (5:10 p.m.)
Leg B: Aqueduct – Race 8, Stud Muffin (5:34 p.m.)
Leg C: Turfway Park – Race 10, Bourbonette Oaks (5:45 p.m.)
Leg D: Aqueduct – Race 9, Dads Caps (6:10 p.m.)
Leg E: Turfway Park – Race 11, G3 Jeff Ruby Steaks (6:25 p.m.)

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Hush Of A Storm, Gretzky The Great Headline 100-Point Jeff Ruby Steaks

Joseph P. Morey Trust's $100,000 John Battaglia Memorial Stakes winner Hush of a Storm, along with Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Gary Barber's Grade 1-winning colt Gretzky the Great top a field of 12 3-year-olds that were entered in Saturday afternoon's 50th running of the $250,000 Jeff Ruby Steaks (G3) – the premiere stakes event at Turfway Park's meet.

The Jeff Ruby Steaks is one of six stakes events on Saturday's 12-race afternoon spectacular at Turfway, which begins at 1:10 p.m. (all times Eastern). The centerpiece 1 1/8-mile race over the synthetic Tapeta surface is carded as Race 11 with a post time of 6:25 p.m. Wagering is available online at www.TwinSpires.com, the official ADW of Churchill Downs Incorporated.

The Jeff Ruby Steaks will award the top four finishers points on a 100-40-20-10 scale towards a spot in the starting gate for the $3 million Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve (G1).

The other stakes races on Saturday's card are the $150,000 Bourbonette Oaks (Listed), a Championship Series race on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks worth 50-20-10-5 points to the $1.25 million Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1); $150,000 TwinSpires.com Kentucky Cup Classic (Listed); the $100,000 Rushaway; the $100,000 Latonia Stakes; and the $65,000 Animal Kingdom Stakes.

Hush of a Storm, trained by Bill Morey and ridden by Santiago Gonzalez, was the 1 ½-length winner of the Feb. 26 Battaglia Memorial, the local prep for the Jeff Ruby Steaks. The Creative Cause colt had to survive an inquiry and objection in the race after he lugged in and appeared to affect fellow rivals Like the King, Gretzky the Great and Hard Rye Guy in the stretch. Following a review of the race, the stewards issued no change to the order of finish. Hush of a Storm is a perfect 3-for-3 over the Tapeta surface at Turfway. He broke his maiden by 5 ½ lengths on Dec. 19 and followed up that win three weeks later with a half-length first-level allowance score. His only blemish came in a seven-furlong maiden claiming $150,000 race over the dirt at Churchill Downs. Hush of a Storm drew post No. 2.

One of the other top rivals in the Jeff Ruby Steaks is $250,000 Summer (G1) winner Gretzky the Great. Named after the NHL Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky, the Nyquist colt was the even-money favorite in the Battaglia Memorial. In that race, he was pressured on the lead for nearly one-mile before giving way to Hush of a Storm. The Mark Casse-trainee will get a jockey change to Chris Landeros for the Jeff Ruby Steaks and will break from post 10.

Another horse likely to garner attention in the race is SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Stonestreet Stables, Golconda Stable, Siena Farm and Robert Masterson's $200,000 Holy Bull (G3) runner-up Tarantino. Trained by Rodolphe Brisset, Tarantino began his career on turf at Del Mar in the barn of Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert. He finished second in the $101,000 Zuma Beach at Santa Anita prior to his transfer to Brisset. Immediately after he entered Brisset's string in South Florida, he defeated six rivals in a first-level allowance over the turf at Gulfstream Park. His most recent start was a fourth-place finish in the $300,000 Fountain of Youth (GII) where he was defeated 5 ¼ lengths by Greatest Honour. Jockey Florent Geroux will ride from post 7.

The complete field from the rail out (with jockey and trainer): Like the King (Drayden Van Dyke, Wesley Ward); Hush of a Storm (Gonzalez, Morey); King's Ovation (Albin Jiminez, Dale Romans); Awesome Gerry (Martin Garcia, Saffie Joseph Jr.); Sainthood (Gerardo Corrales, Todd Pletcher); Smiley Sobotka (Declan Cannon, Romans); Tarantino (Geroux, Brisset); Moonlite Strike (Rafael Hernandez, Joseph); Hard Rye Guy (Brian Hernandez Jr., Ian Wilkes); Gretzy the Great (Landeros, Casse); Dyn O Mite (Deshawn Parker, Keith Desormeaux); and Hockey Dad (Rafael Bejarano, Doug O'Neill).

Hard Rye Guy and Hockey Dad were not nominated to the Triple Crown at the early closing but could become eligible with a $6,000 late payment that is due on Monday.

The National Weather Service forecast for Florence, Ky. calls for a gorgeous afternoon of racing with sunny skies and a high temperature of 71 degrees.

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Morey Barn Ready to Make Some Noise

Trainer William Morey picked up three for his stable while shopping the 2-year-old sales in Ocala last spring. Two of them, led by the streaking GIII Jeff Ruby Steaks-bound Hush of a Storm (Creative Cause), will compete on Saturday's loaded program at Turfway Park.

“Two have won stakes, and, of course, the other filly hasn't made the races,” Morey said. “We've had some bitter and sweet, but lots of sweet along the way.”

Hush of a Storm, a $75,000 OBS Spring purchase (:21 3/5; consigned by de Meric Sales) by the Joseph P. Morey, Jr. Revocable Trust, is one of the main contenders from a full field of 12 in the $250,000 road to the GI Kentucky Derby prep race, carrying qualifying points of 100-40-20-10.

A well-beaten eighth in his Churchill debut last November, Hush of a Storm is a perfect three-for-three over the Turfway synthetic since, including a good-looking, come-from-behind win in the local prep John Battaglia Memorial S. Feb. 26 (video). The field that day included the re-opposing GISW Gretzky the Great (Nyquist).

Bred by Berkshire Stud, Hush of a Storm is the first foal out of the winning Flatter mare Hush Now, a full-sister to MSW & MGSP Brigand and a half-sister to SW Sky Music (Sky Mesa).

The New York-bred completed his Jeff Ruby preparations with a five-furlong breeze in 1:02.60 (38/46) at Turfway last Saturday.

“He's training like a monster,” Morey said. “I know he's gonna have to be with the waters getting deeper and deeper as we go on, but he's training like a good horse. All systems are a go for the Jeff Ruby.”

Morey will also saddle Sandin Syndicate Stable's Pico d'Oro (Curlin), a $255,000 OBS March acquisition (:21 1/5; consigned by Eddie Woods), in the $65,000 Animal Kingdom S. on the Jeff Ruby undercard. Last year's Runhappy Juvenile S. winner cuts back to 6 1/2 furlongs after flashing speed and tiring to eighth behind his stablemate in the Battaglia. He was a close third as the favorite in Aqueduct's Jimmy Winkfield S. two back.

Other entrants on Saturday's Turfway card for Morey include: Queen of God (Paynter) in the Latonia S. and Visitant (Ghostzapper) in the Kentucky Cup Classic.

“Tough little horse, but not quite a route horse,” Morey said of Pico d'Oro. “Pico's got a big heart and a great stride. He's a hard trier.”

The son of the late, CTBA Hall of Fame trainer William J. Morey, Jr. relocated to the bluegrass with his wife Elizabeth two years ago from his native California. Highlights from his 1,700-plus career victories include wins in 2018 by Ollie's Candy in the GII Summertime Oaks and Coniah in the GIII Las Cienegas S.

“I worked for dad [as an assistant] through high school and college,” Morey said. “I went on my own in '01. Surprisingly enough, it's been 20-21 years now all of sudden. It's crazy how time flies. I can remember the days working for him.”

He added with a laugh, “The good days and the bad days, that's for sure.”

Morey trains approximately 30 head, split currently between Turfway and Keeneland with plans to head to Churchill later this spring. The 46-year-old will also have a division at Del Mar this summer.

“We're enjoying our time and our life here in Kentucky,” Morey said. “It's a beautiful place to live and to train. Hoping to continue to get better and better horses. We've got some good ones on the way.”

One of those in the pipeline to keep an eye on–a colt from the first crop of the much buzzed-about MGISW Practical Joke–was selected by Morey on behalf of Gerry Sandin's aforementioned operation for $210,000 at last week's OBS March Sale.

Consigned by Eddie Woods, Agent VIII, as Hip 113, the son of the multiple stakes-winning City Zip mare Mystic City breezed a quarter in :21 1/5 at the under-tack show.

“He's got that Classic, Derby colt look to him,” Morey said. “Let's hope he's that good. But that's the look he has. And that's the look that sells. That was the same kind of look I saw last year in Hush of a Storm.”

Morey concluded, “Maybe Hush will take us some places that we haven't been yet. I've won a few graded races, but haven't run in any of the Classics. Maybe a horse like Hush will take us somewhere like that.”

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