Tiz the Bomb, Stolen Base meet for a fourth time in Jeff Ruby Steaks

FLORENCE, Ky. – Tiz the Bomb and Stolen Base have become familiar foes the last six months and will meet again Saturday in the Grade 3, $600,000 Jeff Ruby Steaks at Turfway Park.

The two colts most recently faced each other in the local prep, the John Battaglia Memorial on March 5. Stolen Base just missed tagging out his foe at the wire, as Tiz the Bomb held on by a diminishing neck. In hopes of stealing home this time, trainer Mike Maker will put blinkers on his late-rallying ace to help position him well early.

“He’s training well,” Maker said. “He just needs some racing luck one of these times.”

Luck, and more, will be required in the Ruby, by no means a certain home run for either of these two colts. In addition to Tiz the Bomb – who could be bound for the English classics – and Stolen Base, the main body of the field also includes stakes winners Cabo Spirit, Dowagiac Chief, and Red Run. El Camino Real winner Blackadder will scratch to await the Grade 1 Blue Grass on April 9 at Keeneland, his connections said. His withdrawal will allow maiden winner Swing Shift, the lone also-eligible, to draw into the field.

The Ruby, one of the final major Kentucky Derby preps on a point scale of 100-40-20-10 since Turfway came under the umbrella of Churchill Downs Inc., concludes a 12-race Saturday card. It headlines six stakes, including the $250,000 Bourbonette Oaks, a Kentucky Oaks points race, and a strong renewal of the $250,000 Kentucky Cup Classic. First post is 12:45 p.m. Eastern.

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Tiz the Bomb won the Kentucky Downs Juvenile Mile and the Grade 2 Bourbon on turf last fall, then crossed the line a strong second to Modern Games in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf at Del Mar. Stolen Base, whose only win last year came in his dirt sprint debut, was a rallying second in the Bourbon, beaten three-quarters of a length, then seventh at the Breeders’ Cup.

The colts’ paths then diverged. Tiz the Bomb tested dirt on the Derby trail, but finished seventh in the Grade 3 Holy Bull, with trainer Kenny McPeek saying the colt displayed distaste for dirt in his face. Stolen Base, meanwhile, stayed on turf, rallying from 10th with a six-wide move to be third in the Texas Turf Mile.

Their paths crossed again as both moved to Tapeta for the first time in the Battaglia. Tiz the Bomb struck the front in upper stretch and powered clear of the rest of the field. Stolen Base, who waited in a bit of traffic exiting the far turn, split horses and finished with a rush.

Although Tiz the Bomb is a Triple Crown nominee and eyeing more points here, he also is nominated to the English 2000 Guineas and Epsom Derby. McPeek has said there is a “better than average chance that he’ll go to Europe.”

Red Run and Dowagiac Chief were first and fourth, respectively, in the aforementioned Texas Turf Mile. Dowagiac Chief was involved in a contested pace and briefly put a head in front in the stretch before faltering. Meanwhile, Red Run took advantage of that pace to rally from eighth in the early going for a half-length win.

Dowagiac Chief bounced back with a five-length victory in the Black Gold on the Fair Grounds turf, leading throughout and pulling clear by five lengths. He earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 88, the highest career number in this field.

“His best races have been on or near the lead, there’s no question about that,” trainer Tom Amoss said. “He was definitely compromised in Houston by the amount of speed in that race.”

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Dowagiac Chief will have classy speed to contend with here. Royal Spirit pressed before finishing second by a neck in the Grade 3 Kitten’s Joy on the Gulfstream turf. Constitutionlawyer was a front-running maiden winner going this 1 1/8-mile distance at Aqueduct, but faded badly in the Grade 3 Withers.

A dispute up front could benefit Stolen Base.

Shipping in from California is Cabo Spirit for George Papaprodromou. The ridgling won the Eddie Logan on turf before finishing second by 15 lengths to the well-regarded Messier in the Grade 3 Robert B. Lewis, but then a well-beaten fifth in the Grade 2 San Felipe.

Rich Strike was third in the Leonatus and fourth in the Battaglia Memorial at Turfway. Great Escape, Optigogo, and Tawny Port complete the main body of the field.