Leon looking for another Derby shot with Congruent
Jockey Sonny Leon is eyeing a big day on Turfway Park’s marquee March 25 card, with his potential mounts in the day’s six stakes races including last year’s Kentucky Derby winner and a current Kentucky Derby hopeful.
Leon piloted Congruent to a win in the $150,000 John Battaglia Memorial on Saturday night at Turfway. The colt, trained by Antonio Sano, earned a career-high Beyer Speed Figure of 91 in scoring his second career stakes win, which netted him 20 points toward a spot in the Kentucky Derby starting gate. The Battaglia Memorial was the final local prep toward the Grade 3, $700,000 Jeff Ruby on March 25, which is designated as a major prep, awarding points on a 100-40-30-20-10 scale.
Last year, Leon was aboard Rich Strike for trainer Eric Reed as the colt finished third in the Leonatus Stakes, fourth in the Battaglia Memorial, and third in the Ruby. He drew into the Kentucky Derby as an also-eligible and proceeded to spring the second-biggest upset in the history of the spring classic with his late-charging win.
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Rich Strike, who has gone winless in five starts since the Derby, is currently slated to make his 4-year-old debut in the $300,000 Kentucky Cup Classic, one of five stakes on the Jeff Ruby undercard.
“Turfway Park is home, and I’m so glad to be back,” Leon said after his win with Congruent. “It’s so exciting to come back home and win this race after Rich Strike ran well in it last year.”
Others possible for the Ruby include stakes winner Scoobie Quando, who finished second in the Battaglia; Funtastic Again, winner of the Leonatus in January; Major Dude, a two-time graded stakes winner on turf; and Wadsworth, who has won back-to-back races at Turfway, including an allowance/optional claimer over Scoobie Quando.
Midnight Rising, an eye-catching debut winner Thursday as the only 3-year-old in a field of older horses, will be considered for the Ruby if the field size allows him to draw in, but is more likely for the $250,000 Rushaway Stakes for sophomores on the undercard, according to trainer Jordan Blair.
Sharing the card with the Battaglia Memorial was the $150,000 Cincinnati Trophy, with Botanical posting a 6 1/2-length score for trainer Brad Cox. She earned a Beyer of 91 while picking up 20 Kentucky Oaks points and likely earning favoritism for the Bourbonette Oaks on March 25, a $300,000 race awarding Oaks points on a 50-20-15-10-5 scale.
“I can’t wait to see where she goes next,” regular rider Chris Landeros said. “She’s got a very bright future.”
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