Endlessly makes it look easy in Jeff Ruby Steaks

FLORENCE, Ky. – Endlessly ran like a heavy favorite should, devouring his foes in the stretch and pouring it on for a four-length win in the Grade 3, $700,000 Jeff Ruby Steaks, the feature among six stakes on Saturday’s biggest card of the season at Turfway Park.

“I’ve always had a tremendous amount of faith in this horse, and he showed me why today,” trainer Michael McCarthy said. “Everything he’s done has always been very professional, seems like it’s come very easily to him.”

Although the victory in the Ruby, named for the sponsoring steakhouse, awarded Endlessly ($4.88) 100 points for an essentially guaranteed spot in the Kentucky Derby starting gate six weeks off, McCarthy said his preference would be to target major turf stakes with the colt. Endlessly, a homebred for Amerman Racing Stables, has now won three races on turf, including the Grade 3 Del Mar Juvenile Turf and Grade 3 Zuma Beach Stakes. He is unbeaten on synthetic tracks, adding the Ruby to his win in the El Camino Real Derby at Golden Gate.

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“Obviously, he’s racked up some Triple Crown points, but I believe his best days are ahead of him on the grass,” McCarthy said, adding that a potential target could be the Grade 2, $600,000 American Turf for 3-year-olds on the Kentucky Derby undercard.

“If it were up to me, that would be the likely choice,” he said.

Endlessly, under Umberto Rispoli, was seventh as Lucky Jeremy narrowly led Northern Flame through an opening half-mile in 48.57 on the Tapeta on a sunny but brisk spring day. However, he was only about four lengths back in a compact field, which bunched up even more through six furlongs in 1:13. Despite the closely packed group, Rispoli kept his mount free-running. He edged by a dogged Lucky Jeremy coming into the stretch on the outside, then poured it on through the lane to his final margin.

“Got a wonderful setup today,” McCarthy said. “Was in a great spot going down the backstretch, and Umberto and the horse took care of the rest.”

The final time for the 1 1/8 miles was 1:50.15.

West Saratoga, who raced in third in the early going, made his bid on the far turn, and although he was no match for the winner, he ground through the stretch to be second by a game head over second choice Seize the Grey. The latter was third by another head over Triple Espresso, who nipped Lucky Jeremy by a nose for fourth. The photos for those positions were key, as, in addition to Endlessly’s 100 points, the Ruby awarded its next top finishers points toward the Kentucky Derby on a 50-25-15-10 scale.

West Saratoga, winner of the Grade 3 Iroquois Stakes last September at Churchill Downs, earned 50 points for his runner-up effort. That, along with the 17 points he already owned, puts him in good position to make the Derby starting gate. A beaming trainer Larry Demeritte said postrace they will target the classic.

After Lucky Jeremy in fifth, Woodcourt, Dancing Droom, Northern Flame, Otello, and Noted rounded out the order of finish. Freedom Principle was a late vet scratch while the field was warming up, but jogged back to the paddock area.

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