Jeff Ruby Stakes Odds & Preview: Tarantino, Hush of a Storm, Gretzky the Great Among Contenders

• Churchill Downs has made Saturday’s Jeff Ruby Stakes at Turfway Park a major Kentucky Derby prep race this year
• On paper the race that used to be known as the Jim Beam Stakes and Spiral Stakes is wide open
• With many viable contenders, the Jeff Ruby Stakes is a good betting event

Late in 2019 Churchill Downs purchased Turfway Park. Located in Florence, KY, less than 100 miles north of Louisville, and for a generation, Turfway has hosted a modest Derby prep race this time of year. This year, that will be the Jeff Ruby Stakes on Saturday.

With the backing of Churchill, the Kentucky Derby qualifying points for the Jeff Ruby Stakes have been upped from 20 last year to 100 this year. Even though Turfway has an all-weather track, not the dirt that the Kentucky Derby will be run on, 100 points has attracted a bunch of Derby hopefuls, and not necessarily the third tier contenders the race is used to.

Let’s look carefully at the field for the Jeff Ruby Stakes, and identify who provides the top betting value.

2021 Jeff Ruby Stakes Odds

Odds from March 25

The Jeff Ruby Stakes is slated for a mile-and-an-eighth over a synthetic surface with a purse of $250,000. Post time is at 6:25 pm EST. Weather in the Commonwealth may get wet right around or more likely just after the race is run. Temperatures are expected to be in the high 60’s or early 70’s. Television coverage is provided by TVG.

After last week’s announcement that Life is Good is off the Triple Crown path, Kentucky Derby odds are all over the place. Whoever emerges at Turfway Park on Saturday will surely dive down in price.

Top Contenders

While many of the top options have been running against each other locally, Tarantino is a tepid favorite after shipping in from Florida where he probably has faced tougher competition.

He followed up his runner-up at a huge price in the Holly Bull with a fourth-place performance in the Fountain of Youth Stakes, where he faced Greatest Honour among others. Both of his victories are on turf, and many people feel that synthetic racing is more similar to grass than dirt.

Hush of a Storm beat Like the King, Gretzky the Great, Hard Rye Guy and seven others last month in the John Battaglia Memorial Stakes.

If you thought Hush of Storm was good last time, there is reason to believe he’ll like more distance and the fast early tempo that is expected on Saturday. He is three-for-three at Turfway Park.

Like the King should be primed in his second race off a layoff. He won at Turfway in December and has never finished worse than third.

Gretzky the Great gave way after leading early as the favorite last time out. However, that was his first try since ankle surgery, and he may not have liked the rail. He ran four really strong races in Canada before a sixth-place performance in the Breeders Cup Juvenile Turf. He might prefer grass.

Hard Rye Guy may have won the Battaglia, but his flying late on the inside was derailed when he was forced to steady in the lane because of traffic problems. He has one win in six career starts.

The Longshots

Trainer Dale Romans is a trusted veteran trainer who liked what he saw out of King’s Ovation at the end of January in Florida.

The second-place performance in The Swale Stakes earned him an opportunity in the Fountain of Youth. He finished sixth but was bumped early on in his first try around two turns.

Dyn O Mite has run back-to-back strong races, although both have been on the turf. A repeat of his third in Texas two starts ago in a stakes race, or second last time out in New Orleans likely gets it done here. That said, his first seven races of his career would not be good enough.

Jeff Ruby Stakes Best Bet

Because the racing in Florida is probably better than what most of this field has typically faced, Tarantino is very logical. Additionally, it is possible the rest of this field is simply a step slower. His price is reasonable considering on paper he looks a little quicker.

Of the group that faced off in the Battaglia, Hard Rye Guy feels like he possesses the most value given how strong he looked and the obstacles he dealt with.

The longshots are viable in here too, though choosing between them is difficult.

Pick: Tarantino