Road to Jeff Ruby Steaks begins with Saturday’s Leonatus
Turfway Park press release by publicist Kevin Kerstein (Coady Media photo of Banks winning an allowance race)
FLORENCE, Ky. (Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025) – The road to the $777,000 Jeff Ruby Steaks (Grade III) begins Saturday at Turfway Park Racing & Gaming with the 35th running of the $125,000 Leonatus Stakes. The one-mile contest features recent impressive allowance winner Banks, who will face seven budding 3-year-olds in his stakes debut.
Carded as Race 6 of 10 at 8:25 p.m. (all times Eastern), the Leonatus Stakes serves as the local prep for the Feb. 22 $175,000 John Battaglia Memorial (Listed), part of the Road to the Kentucky Derby Prep Season. It also leads to the March 22 Jeff Ruby Steaks, a Championship Series contest on the Road to the Kentucky Derby. First post for Saturday’s program is 5:55 p.m.
The Leonatus produced 80-1 Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike, who finished third in the 2022 Leonatus, fourth in the John Battaglia and third in the Jeff Ruby before drawing into the Kentucky Derby off the also-eligible list at literally the last minute.
Owned by Tom Lambro and trained by Joe Sharp, Banks has excelled over Turfway’s Tapeta surface, breaking his maiden Dec. 5 in a restricted maiden special weight and returning three weeks later to defeat nine rivals in a first-level allowance contest. The son of Outwork will be ridden by Adam Beschizza from post No. 4.
Among Banks’ seven rivals is the undefeated Church and State, owned by Centennial Farms – Niagara and trained by Dale Desruisseaux. The son of Caravaggio is 2-for-2 in Canada, with victories in a Nov. 15 maiden special weight and a Dec. 6 first-level allowance. Jockey Rafael Hernandez, who guided him in both Canadian victories, retains the mount from post 7.
The field for the Leonatus Stakes from the rail out (with jockey and trainer):
- Chunk of Gold (Luan Machado, Ethan West)
- Baby Max (Abel Cedillo, Kelsey Danner)
- Up to No Good (Santo Sanjur, Keith Kinmon)
- Banks (Beschizza, Sharp)
- Shan (Albin Jiminez, Ed Moger Jr.)
- Can’t Deny It (Gerardo Corrales, Larry Rivelli)
- Church and State (Hernandez, Desruisseaux)
- Hard as Life (Walter Rodriguez, Michelle Nihei)
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