Pin Oak Stud, a week removed from winning Colonial Downs’ $500,000 Virginia Derby with Incredibolt, tries to secure a Kentucky Derby berth with a second horse as CHAOS AGENT (Constitution) tackles a full field in Saturday’s $777,000 Grade 3 Jeff Ruby Steaks at Turfway Park.
The excitement of having a pair of such talented three-year-olds comes mixed with the devastation from the unexpected passing of Pin Oak co-owner Jim Bernhard just four months ago. Bernhard and his wife, Dana, bought the historic farm in Kentucky’s Woodford County in November 2022 after the death of owner Josephine Abercrombie.
Incredibolt, as the Virginia Derby winner, picked up 50 points toward Kentucky Derby qualifying and is virtually assured a spot in the 20-horse field on May 2 at Churchill Downs. Meanwhile, the 1 1/8-mile Jeff Ruby offers 100 Derby-qualifying points to the winner and 50 to the runner-up.
However, there’s a chasm from an experience standpoint between the Riley Mott-trained Incredibolt and the Josie Carroll-trained Chaos Agent. Incredibolt won Churchill Downs’ Grade 3 Street Sense on Oct. 26, the fifth race on the Derby points schedule. The Virginia Derby was his fifth career start, with three wins. Chaos Agent’s only start was winning a 1 1/16-mile maiden race over Gulfstream Park’s Tapeta surface on Feb. 5 at 11-1 odds. He earned an 84 Beyer Figure.
Chaos Agent is 10-1 in the Jeff Ruby morning line, for which Stark Contrast is the 5-2 favorite in the field of 12 three-year-olds off two stakes victories sandwiched around a good second in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf.
“Chaos Agent is a horse that is lacking experience, but seems to have a great deal of talent,” Carroll said via text. “I am excited to be part of the Pin Oak team that is committed to carrying forward Mrs. Abercrombie’s vision and that of Jim Bernhard.”
Southern California invader Stark Contrast will break from post 11 with jockey Kazushi Kimura aboard in the Jeff Ruby Steaks. Trained by Michael McCarthy, the homebred colt by Caravaggio won the Zuma Beach Stakes (G3) by a length Oct. 5 and scored a 2¼-length victory in the Eddie Logan (L) Jan. 8 at Santa Anita. In between, he was runner-up, three-quarters of a length behind Gstaad in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (G1), in which he started at 58-1 odds Oct. 31 at Del Mar. The Jeff Ruby Steaks will be Stark Contrast’s first start over a synthetic surface, with all three of his victories coming on turf.
McCarthy won the Jeff Ruby Steaks two years ago with Endlessly, who is entered earlier on the card in the Kentucky Cup Classic.
Trainer Brad Cox entered the duo of Fulleffort and Argos in the Jeff Ruby Steaks.
Fulleffort finished second in both the Leonatus and the John Battaglia Memorial (L) in back-to-back efforts earlier this year at Turfway Park. Prior to those stakes tries, the son of Liam’s Map broke his maiden by a dominating five lengths at Keeneland. Irad Ortiz Jr. rides from post 2.
Cox, who won last year’s Jeff Ruby Steaks with eventual Kentucky Derby fourth-place finisher Final Gambit, also entered Grade 1 winner Argos. The son of Nyquist was recently transferred to Cox following five starts with Riley Mott, including his head victory in last year’s Summer Stakes (G1) at Woodbine. Luan Machado has the mount from post 10.
Two Out Hero won the Soaring Free (L) last season at Woodbine prior to finishing third to Argos in the Summer. Trained by Kevin Attard, Two Out Hero disappointed one month ago in the John Battaglia Memorial when he finished ninth at odds of 4-1. Gerardo Corrales rides the War Front colt from post 4.
Another horse invading from Southern California is Perry Bass II and Ramona Bass’ stakes-placed Medici. Trained by Richard Mandella, the Into Mischief colt finished second in last month’s Pasadena Stakes at Santa Anita. Mirco Demuro rides from post 6.
Trainer Brendan Walsh entered the duo of Black Gold Stakes winner Black Hornet and two-time winner Stop the Car.
Owned by Calumet Farm, Black Hornet scored a 1¼-length victory at 7-1 odds in last month’s Black Gold at Fair Grounds. Declan Cannon rides from post 5.
Stop the Car was targeting the John Battaglia Memorial but was scratched with a minor setback. Owned by Tradewinds Farm, the Maximum Security colt won on debut in a $150,000 maiden claiming contest last fall at Keeneland, then captured a first-level allowance Nov. 29 at Churchill Downs. He was a lackluster seventh in the Lecomte (G3) in his season bow Jan. 17 at Fair Grounds. Edgar Morales has the mount from post 12.
The complete field for the Jeff Ruby Steaks from the rail out with ( jockey, trainer):
Turf Star (John Velazquez, Graham Motion)
Fulleffort (Irad Ortiz Jr., Brad Cox)
Baytown Dreamer (Orlando Bocachica, Paul McEntee)
Two Out Hero (Gerardo Corrales, Kevin Attard)
Black Hornet (Declan Cannon, Brendan Walsh)
Medici (Mirco Demuro, Richard Mandella)
Maximus Prime (Joe Ramos, Anthony Mitchell)
Chaos Agent (Joel Rosario, Josie Carroll)
Brave Force (Vincent Cheminaud, Jack Sisterson)
Argos (Luan Machado, Brand Cox)
Stark Contrast (Kazushi Kimura, MIchael McCarthy)
Stop the Car (Edgar Morales, Brendan Walsh)
Overall, the top five finishers in the Jeff Ruby Steaks will earn Derby qualifying points on a 100-50-25-15-10 scale.
The blockbuster 13-race program at Turfway Park gets underway at 12:45 p.m. (ET), with the Jeff Ruby Steaks scheduled as Race 12 at 6:25 p.m. The card also includes the $300,000 TwinSpires Kentucky Cup Classic (G3), the $300,000 Bourbonette Oaks (L), the $250,000 Latonia (L), the $250,000 Animal Kingdom, and the $250,000 Rushaway.
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