Posted to Race on Turfway Park Synthetic, Aiming for the Jeff Ruby Steaks

Godolphin's colt aims to reclaim victory on road to Kentucky Derby after third-place finish in the Sam F. Davis

Posted, inside, wins the Remsen Stakes / ADAM COGLIANESE / NYRA

FLORENCE, Kentucky (Especial para Turf Diario) – The road to the Kentucky Derby continues to heat up this Saturday in the United States. While most of the attention will be on the Louisiana Derby (G2) at Fair Grounds, Turfway Park will also offer a key step toward the start of the Triple Crown with its most important event of the year.

Today, the Jeff Ruby Steaks will be run over 1800 meters on the synthetic track, with a purse of $777,000.

With 12 horses confirmed and Candytown (Speightstown) waiting as the only alternate, the top favorite is Poster, a Munnings colt from Godolphin who recently returned to the races with a third-place finish behind John Hancock(Constitution), the favorite for the Louisiana Derby, in the Sam F. Davis Stakes (L) at Tampa Bay Downs.

Trained by Eoin Harty, the chestnut is the winner of the Remsen Stakes (G2) in 2024. After sharpening his form, he is expected to have enough power to defeat California Burrito (Army Mule), the enemy in the morning line.

The horse is a specialist on the local all-weather surface, where he recently won a condition race and the John Battaglia Memorial Stakes (L), a preparatory race for the Jeff Ruby, not forgetting his early win as a 2-year-old on the dirt at Churchill Downs.

Another horse generating considerable expectation is Maximum Promise (Maximum Security), trained by Kenny McPeek and ridden by Italian jockey Frankie Dettori. The colt, a winner of a condition race at Ellis Park, finished fifth in the Lecomte Stakes (G3) at Fair Grounds and third in the aforementioned John Battaglia Memorial.

Trainer Brad Cox and Brazilian jockey Luan Machado will team up with Final Gambit (Not This Time), a Juddmontecolt who recently broke his maiden by 2 1/4 lengths at Turfway Park as the overwhelming favorite. Also in the mix is Baby Max (Maximus Mischief), a winner at Turfway Park in the Leonatus Stakes (L) who finished second to California Burrito in the John Battaglia, reaffirming his fondness for the synthetic track.

The Jeff Ruby Steaks promises to be a competitive race with promising young colts, all with the potential to make a significant impact on the Kentucky Derby trail.