Jeff Ruby Steaks

The name of Turfway Park's signature stakes race has changed over the years, ranging from the Lane's End to the Spiral to the current Jeff Ruby Steaks, but one constant has remained during the track's synthetic era: a high success rate for trainer Mike Maker.

Twenty-two times the leading trainer at Turfway, he won the race for the sixth time March 14 when Field Pass rallied from a stalking position to defeat favored Invader, trained by Wesley Ward, by a neck. Fancy Liquor, another Maker trainee, was two lengths back in third.

It was Maker's second consecutive victory in the Jeff Ruby after Somelikeithotbrown won last year, and his fourth from the last five runnings. His six wins date back to 2006, the first year the race was not run on dirt.

"I try to bring some of my better turf horses for the Ruby. It’s paid off over the years," said the trainer.

The $217,010 race gave 3-year-old Field Pass his second straight win in as many starts in 2020 following a neck triumph in the Dania Beach Stakes Feb. 1 at Gulfstream Park. Last year the son of Lemon Drop Kid  went 1-for-6 for Kirk Wycoff's Three Diamonds Farm, among his losses a second in the With Anticipation Stakes on the grass at Saratoga Race Course.

The only time he was worse than fourth in his career came when he raced on dirt, a try that resulted in a distant sixth-place finish at Churchill Downs Oct. 27.

Pointing to that loss, Maker seemed reluctant to pursue the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve, to which the Jeff Ruby provided qualifying points on a 20-8-4-2 scale. He mentioned the $500,000 American Turf on the Derby May 2 undercard at Churchill Downs as a possible spot, pending a discussion with the Wycoff family

Field Pass was not an initial nominee to the Triple Crown, though he could still be made so at a cost of $6,000 by March 30. Thereafter, to become eligible requires a supplemental nomination due at the time of each race's entry: $200,000 for the Kentucky Derby, $150,000 for the Preakness Stakes (G1), and $50,000 for the Belmont Stakes.

Field Pass raced 1 1/8 miles on the always-fast synthetic surface at Turfway in 1:49.34 under Irad Ortiz Jr., the Eclipse Award-winning rider of 2018-19. The jockey also teamed with Maker to take the Maxim Crane Works Bourbonette Oaks with Queen of God and the last race, a maiden contest, with Have a Plan.

Invader, backed to 13-10 after winning two earlier races on Turfway's synthetic surface, including the John Battaglia Memorial Stakes, was gritty in defeat but could not turn back the winner's stretch bid after pressing the early pace.

"When I asked him, it took some time to get going," Ortiz said of Field Pass. It wasn’t easy to catch him (Invader), but he got the job done."