Ky. Derby prep: Jeff Ruby contenders have final drills

Several of Turfway Park’s top contenders for Saturday’s Grade 3, $777,000 Jeff Ruby Steaks are making their final preparations for the road to Kentucky Derby 2025 event, including 3-1 morning-line favorite Poster and 7-2 second choice California Burrito, who schooled in the paddock Wednesday night.

Poster, winner of the Remsen Stakes (G2) as a 2-year-old, has been based at Turfway Park for most of his career under the care of trainer Eoin Harty. The chestnut son of Munnings enters the Jeff Ruby Steaks off a third-place finish in the Sam F. Davis Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs. He schooled alongside two stablemates in race 2 on Wednesday.

“I think this is a sneaky good race overall on Saturday,” Harty said. “He’s coming into the race as good as we could ask of him. He’s still growing into that 3-year-old frame. He’s a big, good-looking horse. He was that way as a 2-year-old and has already filled out some this year.”

Thursday morning, Poster galloped about a mile with retired jockey Francisco Torres in the saddle.

One race before Poster schooled, trainer Tommy Drury Jr. oversaw the schooling sessions of John Battaglia Memorial winner California Burrito and his stablemate, Claiborne Farm’s Admit, who will run in the $300,000 Bourbonette Oaks on the undercard of the Jeff Ruby Steaks.

“I don’t expect the pace to be nearly as slow as it was in the Battaglia or his start prior winning an allowance,” Drury said of California Burrito. “We’ll leave it up to (jockey) Irving (Moncada) to see where he’s placed early in the race. We’ll bounce out of there pretty good but Irving knows the horse well and can sit off horses if need be.”

Moncada, who didn’t ride until race 4 Wednesday night, joined Drury in the paddock for the schooling sessions.

“Both horses are doing great and look great here tonight,” Moncada said. “I’ve worked both horses and I’m really thankful to Tommy and the team for allowing me to ride them Saturday afternoon.”

The Jeff Ruby Steaks and Bourbonette Oaks are key stops on the road to the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks (G1). The Jeff Ruby Steaks will award qualifying points to the top five finishers on a 100-50-25-15-10 scale toward the May 3 Kentucky Derby. The Bourbonette Oaks offers points on a 50-25-15-10-5 scale toward the May 2 Kentucky Oaks.

The Jeff Ruby Steaks, carded as race 12 on the 13-race program, will go to post at 6:25 p.m. EDT, with the Bourbonette Oaks as Race 11 at 5:43 p.m. First post is 12:45 p.m.