Jeff Ruby Steaks fair odds: West coast set looks strong

When it comes to the Grade 3, $700,000 Jeff Ruby Steaks on Saturday at Turfway Park, all 14 entrants in the 1 1/8-mile race on the Tapeta surface are shippers.

That's right, none of expected 12 starters last raced at Turfway Park. So just saying I'm picking the shippers doesn't narrow it down at all, but the two horses I do like have something else in common: They've shipped the farthest to be there.

Leading the charge for me is Endlessly, the El Camino Real Derby winner, whom I have as the most likely winner of this race with fair odds of 3-1. Unfortunately, the Mike McCarthy trainee, who was just 5-1 in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf, is 5-2 on Mike Battaglia's Ruby morning line, so the value is not likely to be there.

Endlessly also is interesting from the standpoint that he received a berth into the Preakness Stakes by virtue of his El Camino win, and he was seventh choice of 39 individually listed 3-year-olds in the Preakness Future Wager presented by Horse Racing Nation. But McCarthy has hinted that even a good run in the Ruby might have Amerman Racing Stables' Oscar Performance colt targeting a return to turf. He has never tried dirt.

Lucky Jeremy is the other well-traveled sophomore who catches the eye. The Lookin At Lucky colt presumably named after his owner Jeremy Ramsland shipped to New Mexico for a win in the Riley Allison Derby before finishing third to Stronghold in the Sunland Park Derby. This marks his synthetic debut, but trainer Bill Morey is 24 percent on the dirt-to-synth move and attracts top local jock Gerardo Corrales for the ride.

Lucky Jeremy is 8-1 on the morning line, but it's impossible for me to see him beyond the second choice, with Endlessly being the favorite. If they both take more money than expected, then any of Northern Flame, Woodcourt and/or Seize the Grey could end up north of my fair odds.

My fair odds expect a scratch of Agate Road, whom trainer Todd Pletcher cross-entered into the Louisiana Derby (G2) on Saturday at Fair Grounds. Circle P would be the first to draw in and is not impossible at 30-1 morning line. He could spice things up underneath at least.