The career of Noted takes another interesting twist Saturday when the multiple-stakes winning colt runs on artificial surface for the first time in the $700,000 Jeff Ruby Stakes (G3) at Turfway Park.
The lure of the Jeff Ruby is obvious: a huge purse and 100 Kentucky Derby (G1) qualifying points to the winner, making this a Derby “Win and You’re In” contest for both the victor and the runner-up, who bags 50 points.
Not surprisingly with the Derby drawing closer with each passing day, the 1 1/8-mile race drew a full field of 12 with two more, Circle P and Triple Espresso, sitting on the also-eligible list.
The track oddsmaker tabbed Endlessly the morning-line favorite at 5-2. It’s easy to fall under the sway of a colt who is 4-for-5.
Trained at Santa Anita by Mike McCarthy, Endlessly started his career promisingly with four turf races including a pair of Grade 3 victories in the Del Mar Juvenile Turf and the Zuma Beach at Santa Anita. Endlessly was a well-backed 5-1 in his lone loss, an eighth-place effort in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (G1).
The added kicker for his backers is the last outing, a victory in the El Camino Real Derby over the synthetic track at Golden Gate Field. The competition was modest, but Endlessly rallied strongly to score as the 7-10 favorite and convincingly silenced doubters questioning his transition to an all-weather surface.
The Jeff Ruby is an outlier, the lone major Derby prep not contested on old-fashioned dirt like the runners will find at Churchill Downs. The lineup here is not without hope on Derby Day. Two Phils, last year’s Jeff Ruby winner, went on to finish second to Mage in the Derby.
This will be the first synthetic challenge for Noted, already a stakes winner on turf and dirt. Trainer Todd Pletcher, a three-time Jeff Ruby winner, has presented Noted continual surface challenges.
After starting his career with a win and a second in a pair of grass races, Pletcher switched Noted to the dirt and was rewarded with a come-from-behind win in the Sapling Stakes at Monmouth Park.
The next assignment was back on the grass, a narrow defeat in the Bourbon (G2) at Keeneland. Next up: a return to the main track for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) where Noted was barely noticeable, finishing over 30 lengths behind stablemate Fierceness.
Then it was back to the grass at Gulfstream Park to win the Pulpit Stakes before running a disappointing seventh as the 13-10 favorite in the Kitten’s Joy (G3).
At the moment, Fierceness looks like Pletcher’s best Derby prospect. He has always believed in strength in numbers, so the Jeff Ruby looks like an inviting spot to also get Noted qualified for the Derby.
We agree.
Pletcher also entered Agate Road, a cross-entry in the Louisiana Derby (G2) on Saturday, and Triple Espresso on the also-eligible list.
The picks: 1 Noted 2 Endlessly 3 Seize the Grey
The field for the $700,000 Jeff Ruby Steaks (G3), from the rail out, with jockey, trainer, odds:
1 Freedom Principle (Adam Beschizza, Jose Garoffalo), 30-1
2 Dancing Groom (Frankie Dettori, Antonio Sano), 15-1
3 Lucky Jeremy (Gerardo Corrales, Bill Morey), 10-1
4 Noted (Luis Saez, Todd Pletcher), 10-1
5 Agate Road (Jose Ortiz, Todd Pletcher), 4-1
6 Northern Flame (Julien Leparoux, Ken McPeek), 5-1)
7 Woodcourt (Luan Machado, Cipriano Contreras), 6-1
8 Otello (Javier Castellano, Christophe Clement), 12-1
9 Seize the Grey (Nik Juarez, D. Wayne Lukas), 8-1
10 Endlessly (Umberto Rispoli, Michael McCarthy), 5-2
11 Baytown Chatterbox (Albin Jiminez, Paul McEntee), 30-1
12 West Saratoga (Jesus Castanon, Larry Demeritte), 20-1
AE Circle P (Tyler Conner, Flint Stites), 30-1
AE Triple Espresso (Jose Ortiz, Todd Pletcher), 20-1.
The writing team at US Racing is comprised of both full-time and part-time contributors with expertise in various aspects of the Sport of Kings.
