Red Ruby

Red Ruby ran second in her career debut in October 2017 at Churchill Downs before posting a 3 1/2-length runaway win under the historic Twin Spires four weeks later. She made her 3-year-old debut in the Martha Washington Stakes at Oaklawn Park, where she rallied from off the pace to prevail by 2 1/2 lengths in her stakes debut.

Whether that win was aided by a sloppy track or the Martha Washington took a lot out of her, Red Ruby was not the same when fourth by five lengths in the Grade 3 Honeybee Stakes on March 10. A minor barn mishap that led to superficial cuts that required stitches caused Red Ruby to miss a planned start and thus the Longines Kentuck Oaks, but she returned for the Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan Stakes at Pimlico on Preakness Stakes weekend.

In the Black-Eyed Susan, Red Ruby stalked the pace from second, seized command near the top of the stretch, and surged clear to a dominant victory for her first career graded stakes win. She returned seven weeks later with another powerhouse performance, simply overwhelming the competition in a runaway win in the Grade 3 Delaware Oaks.