Kentucky Derby (G1) points are up for grabs in two stakes races on March 22: the $777,000 JEFF RUBY STEAKS (G3) at Turfway Park in Florence, KY, which is at 1 1/8 miles on the Tapeta surface and the $1 million LOUISIANA DERBY (G2) at Fair Grounds in New Orleans, LA at 1 1/8 miles on dirt.
Those two cards of racing are loaded with stakes events including the Bourbonette Oaks and Fair Grounds Oaks (G2), which offer Kentucky Oaks (G1) points.
Canadian horsepeople are represented at both tracks. In particular, JOSIE CARROLL will start the DiScola Boys’ HE’S NOT JOKING in the Jeff Ruby, hoping that the switch back to synthetic dirt will get the Kentucky-bred colt back in form. The son of Practical Joke won the Grade 3 Grey stakes at Woodbine on Tapeta last year but has been well beaten in the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes on Nov. 30 and Grade 3 Holy Bull Stakes at Gulfstream on Feb. 1.
On the Louisiana Derby card, trainer and co-owner GAIL COX will start DANCIN IN DA’NILE in the Grade 2 Muniz Memorial Stakes at 1 1/8 miles on turf. The $300,000 race is the 10th on the card. Ontario-bred Dancin in Da’Nile was an improving runner in 2024 with two wins on the grass at Woodbine including a fourth-place finish in the Grade 3 Singspiel Stakes.
RAFAEL HERNANDEZ, already with 20 wins in 2025, will ride He’s Not Joking from post 12 in the Jeff Ruby. Carroll also starts MEGALODON in the $250,000 Rushaway stakes, race 8 at Turfway on Saturday. The Pin Oak Stables Kentucky-bred by Medaglia d’Oro comes off his maiden win on Feb. 22 at 6 1/2 furlongs at Turfway. Hernandez won on his that day and will ride again.
As for the Jeff Ruby Steaks (6:25 p.m. Eastern):
POSTER (Munning), Poster, last year’s Remsen Stakes (Grade II) winner, and CALIFORNIA BURRITO, the John Battaglia Memorial victor, headline a competitive field of 12 3-year-olds and one also-eligible. The race offers qualifying points on a 100- 50-25-15-10 scale to the top five finishers for a spot in the $5 million Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve (GI).
Poster, a homebred for Godolphin, trained by Eoin Harty, closed out his two-year-old season with a determined victory in the Remsen at Aqueduct. The colt was a fast-closing third-place finish in the Sam F. Davis at Tampa Bay Downs, finishing behind TwinSpires Louisiana Derby (GII) entrant John Hancock and eventual Tampa Bay Derby (GIII) winner Owen Almighty. Hall of Fame rider John Velazquez will be in the irons from post No. 9.
California Burrito, owned by Aaron and Victoria Haberman and trained by Tommy Drury Jr., secured his spot in the Jeff Ruby Steaks with a gutsy victory in the John Battaglia Memorial, holding off favoured Baby Max. The son of Army Mule was dominant in his prior start, rolling to a 7 ¼-length allowance victory at Turfway. Irving Moncada will have the call from post 3.
At Fair Grounds:
With the morning line favourites in both the $1 million TwinSpires.com Louisiana Derby (G2) and $400,000 Fasig-Tipton Fair Grounds Oaks (G2), trainer Brad Cox is in a good position to repeat last year’s success when the barn sent out the winner in both races with Catching Freedom and Tarifa.
Cox has two entered in this year’s local derby who will be running for their share of the 200 Derby qualifying points up for grabs.
Though WinStar Farms and CHC Inc’s JOHN HANCOCK is the Louisiana Derby morning line favorite, at 7-2 he is a lukewarm one. It makes sense as the undefeated Constitution colt has only raced twice. On the other hand, his stablemate Instant Replay (Maximum Security) has five races of foundation and seasoning and was tabbed as the 6-1 fourth choice.
“We feel they both deserve a shot at getting to the Kentucky Derby,” Cox said. “We’ve been fortunate to win this race twice and in two different ways. Wells Bayou on the front end and coming from well off the pace with Catching Freedom. The track tends to play fair, and our colts each have a different running style. We feel we’re set up with two big opportunities.”
Leading at every call in his first two races, John Hancock has proven natural gate speed. But the Constitution colt also has the ability to battle, dig in, and fight off bids going two turns, as he impressively held Owen Almighty at bay in the Sam F. Davis at Tampa Bay Downs.
“He’s a nice horse,” Cox said. “Lightly raced but he handled a mile and a sixteenth the first time he tried it and we’re hoping he can carry his speed further. I think he can get the distance. There’s other speed in the race. We’re drawn to the inside. We hope he gets in a good position and clears off from the field late.”
Gary and Mary West’s Instant Replay proved his merit coming from last to run down Furio in a local allowance. Furio, who is entered in the Louisiana Derby for Joe Sharp, was loose on the lead and Instant Replay overcame what many handicappers have labeled as a speed-favouring track.
“(Instant Replay) had a big run here last month and he came out of the race in great shape,” Cox said. “It made sense to point at the Louisiana Derby with the performance that he put over this racetrack. I’ve really liked how he’s looked physically since the race. He sets up off the pace, so if there’s a pace meltdown, hopefully he’s the one that picks it up.”
The Louisiana Derby is set as the finale on Saturday’s 12-race card, 6:42 p.m. Eastern.
In the Fair Grounds Oaks, Godolphin’s Good Cheer is clearly the one to beat. Made 4-5 in the morning line, the last-out winner of the Rachel Alexandra by open lengths will likely go off at a shorter price than that.
