Fulleffort has turned in two good efforts already in Turfway Park’s two-turn series for 3-year-olds. “He’s had a good winter there at Turfway,” trainer Brad Cox said. “It’s his home court.” Fulleffort is looking to defend that home court against the likes of California Grade 3 winner Stark Contrast; Black Hornet, coming off a stakes win at Fair Grounds; and new stablemate Argos, a Grade 1 winner at Woodbine last year who is a recent arrival to Kentucky; as the racing version of March Madness tips off with the Grade 3, $777,000 Jeff Ruby Steaks on Saturday at Turfway Park. There are eight domestic points races remaining for those looking to advance to the May 2 Kentucky Derby; all but one award top finishers points on the major 100-50-25-15-10 scale, with a win or even a runner-up effort virtually assuring a spot in the field, and placings also significant if a horse has been consistent. Although no horse has pulled the Turfway-Churchill double since Animal Kingdom in 2011, the Ruby has been a meaningful prep race in recent years, with 2022 Derby winner Rich Strike and 2023 runner-up Two Phil’s among those to prep in Florence. :: Access the most trusted data and information in horse racing! DRF Past Performances and Picks are available now. The nine-furlong Ruby highlights the marquee card of Turfway’s four-month stand on the Kentucky circuit, with six stakes worth $2,127,000, although that includes contributions from the Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund. Fulleffort has been one of the most consistent 3-year-olds at Turfway this winter, with late-running runner-up efforts in the one-mile Leonatus on Jan. 17 and the John Battaglia at 1 1/16 miles on Feb. 21, picking up 10 Derby qualifying points for the latter finish. In the Leonatus, Fulleffort’s rally was creditable, as he was last of eight at the first call while Street Beast got away with uncontested, moderate fractions. In the Battaglia Memorial, Fulleffort was 10th of 11 after the opening half as Street Beast was hounded on the lead. Eventual winner Great White – who is awaiting a dirt test in the Grade 1 Blue Grass on April 4 at Keeneland – sat a perfect stalking trip, and Fulleffort came wide on the turn and rallied to miss by a neck. “I feel like added ground’s going to be to his liking, and hopefully he gets there,” Cox said. “I’m very happy with his two runs over the track, very positive efforts, but hopefully a good trip and another sixteenth of a mile can propel him forward to a victory.” Fulleffort is scheduled to be reunited with Irad Ortiz Jr., who rode him to an allowance win at Keeneland last fall. Saturday is slated as the comeback for Ortiz, who took a spill March 12 at Gulfstream when a first-time starter ducked in after the break and ran into the rail. X-rays on the rider’s sore hip were negative. He was named on horses March 19 and 20 at Gulfstream but took off. He is planning to return Saturday at Turfway. Cox, who sent out last year’s Ruby winner and Derby fourth-place finisher Final Gambit, also will send out Argos, recently transferred to him from Riley Mott. Last year, the colt won the Grade 1 Summer on the Woodbine turf, then finished eighth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf and fifth in the Colonel Liam last month at Gulfstream. Faring better in the BC Juvenile Turf was Stark Contrast. After winning the Grade 3 Zuma Beach, he raced in contention throughout the Juvenile Turf before missing by just three-quarters of a length. He returned to Santa Anita with an attractive win in the Eddie Logan on Jan. 8 but missed a planned start in the Pasadena last month with a poorly timed foot bruise. Trainer Michael McCarthy said the colt is now “back to where he was before then, and maybe a little bit better. “He only missed about four days,” said McCarthy, who won the 2024 Ruby with Endlessly. “Just a terrible timing type of thing, and then it was either stay in California and run for $100,000 or wait for Keeneland, which I thought would be waiting a little bit too long. So this race was out there and just made a lot of sense. A little bit of a new element here, trying a different surface and [traveling to a new track] all at one time. It worked for Endlessly a few years ago . . . . We’re trying to see if lightning can strike twice. But he’s a horse that’s got a very bright future.” Stop the Car also had a brief hiccup in February, traveling up from Fair Grounds for the Battaglia Memorial but scratching after a touch of shipping fever. “He got over it pretty quick, and we’ve gotten a couple of nice works [at Turfway] into him since,” said Brendan Walsh, who also sends out Black Hornet. Stop the Car won his first two starts before finishing seventh in the Grade 3 Lecomte in January. “Maybe the track at Fair Grounds didn’t suit him – sometimes that happens down there,” Walsh said. “A change of scenery and a change of surface, hopefully, he’ll bounce back.” Black Hornet has won both his starts at two turns on turf since Walsh changed him to that surface, including the Black Gold last out. “Obviously, he’s done very little wrong since we put him on the grass,” Walsh said. “He seems like he’s improving.” Maximus Prime, Baytown Dreamer, and Two Out Hero were third, fourth, and ninth, respectively, in the Battaglia, while Brave Force is a local maiden winner. Medici was runner-up by a nose in the Pasadena. Chaos Agent comes off a debut win on Gulfstream’s synthetic. Turf Star, Grade 2-placed on turf last year, completes the field. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.