Big Truzz did not just win his career debut at Keeneland this past April by a wide margin, he looked good doing it, and though he finished second in his second start, the colt who beat him, Patch Adams, came back to win the Grade 1 Woody Stephens. Big Truzz finished a soundly defeated third in the Woody Stephens, pulling a pretty demanding inside trip over a sloppy racing surface. And at Horseshoe Indianapolis, making his two-turn debut in the Indiana Derby on July 5, Big Truzz got caught racing wide from a stalking position on a surface heavily biased toward inside speed. Thus, the question of Big Truzz’s ultimate quality remained open going into the Ellis Park Derby on Sunday, but Big Truzz provided a clear answer: Under the right circumstances, he’s very good. Racing keenly under a light hold just outside and behind pacesetting Big Boat, Big Truzz attacked around the far turn of this one-mile dirt contest, drew even at the 5/16 pole, had a clear lead at the quarter pole, and from there broke the race open to win the $300,000 Ellis Park Derby by seven lengths. His time for the 1 1/2-turn mile run over a fast track that was not producing especially quick times came back a good 1:34.73. Big Truzz paid $6.24 in a field reduced to six starters after Brodeur and Retribution were scratched. :: Access the most trusted data and information in horse racing! DRF Past Performances and Picks are available now. Trainer Brian Lynch swept the exacta after Jimmy’s Dailys rallied for second in his first start since March 29, getting a neck on 13-10 favorite Admiral Dennis, who finished third by 4 1/2 over a tired Big Boat. “He jumped so well, and he felt like a winner every step of the way,” said jockey Tyler Gaffalione, who was winning his fifth race, third in stakes competition, through eight races Sunday. “As soon as I turned him loose, he was very impressive.” Triple Crown winner Justify sired Big Truzz, who combines scope and speed and put it all together Sunday. The colt, purchased at a yearling auction for $300,000 by the Flying Dutchmen stable, is the first foal from the Curlin mare Saralin, who won her lone race, a two-turn Santa Anita maiden mile. From there, Big Truzz’s dam line goes into Argentinian pedigrees. “We’ve always been waiting for that breakthrough race,” Lynch said. “Maybe we wheeled him back a little quickly off the Saratoga race. He had a lot of horse left and it was nice to see him draw off.” Big Truzz ran in Indiana one month after the Woody Stephens, and the circumstances of the race might’ve had as much to do with his sixth-place finish as the turnaround time. Big Truzz had five weeks into the Ellis Park Derby, and four, five, or six weeks from now might be ready to aim for a bigger prize. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.