Turfway prep season begins with Prevue

Stakes winner Warheart, the unbeaten Star’s Image, and stakes-seasoned Touchy top a large field of 10 for the $125,000 Turfway Prevue, the Saturday night feature at Turfway Park.

The Turfway Prevue, at 6 1/2 furlongs on the Tapeta, is the first of six stakes for 3-year-old colts to be run during Turfway’s winter/spring meeting. Next on the schedule is the $125,000 Leonatus Stakes, at a mile on Jan. 18, which leads into the Florence, Ky., track’s two Kentucky Derby points races – the $175,000 John Battaglia Memorial (20-10-6-4-2) at 1 1/16 miles on Feb. 22 and the Grade 3, $700,000 Jeff Ruby (100-50-25-15-10) at 1 1/8 miles on March 22. In recent years, the series has produced 2022 Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike, 2023 Derby runner-up Two Phil’s, and 2024 Preakness winner Seize the Grey. If the runners from the Turfway Prevue want to remain in one-turn races, or haven’t progressed to Kentucky Derby prep action, they will have additional opportunities on the rich March 22 card in the $250,000 Animal Kingdom Stakes at six furlongs or the $250,000 Rushaway Stakes at 1 1/16 miles.

Warheart, whose four career starts were all on the grass, looks like a potential sprint prospect this season for Rodolphe Brisset. His only finish worse than second came when going two turns in the Grade 2 Bourbon last October at Keeneland, finishing seventh. He bounced right back for a front-running score in the six-furlong Atlantic Beach on Nov. 1 on the Aqueduct turf. He earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 87, best in this field, for that four-length score.

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Warheart is well drawn outside the other speed, including Star’s Image, who landed in post 2. Star’s Image has won both his starts going 5 1/2 furlongs on the Fair Grounds turf for Larry Rivelli, earning Beyers of 80 and 82 in those two efforts.

Touchy has made three well-spaced starts, standard practice for Wesley Ward, all on dirt, although he has been shipping regularly to work on the Tapeta at Turfway. The colt was second in a strong edition of the Tremont on debut and fourth in the Grade 2 Saratoga Special. He broke through with a Keeneland maiden score over a next-out winner with a 78 Beyer.

Demeritte gets a replacement

Just a few weeks after the colt who took trainer Larry Demeritte to his first Kentucky Derby left his barn, the trainer started 2025 with another promising 3-year-old. He sent out Grace On Grace to win the $125,000 Gowell Stakes for sophomore fillies on New Year’s Day at Turfway Park.

Demeritte, a native of the Bahamas who turned 75 last October, has trained just two graded stakes winners in his career since moving to the United States in 1976. He gained national attention last year when the most recent of those, West Saratoga, became his first Derby starter, finishing 12th.

West Saratoga won the Grade 3 Iroquois Stakes and placed in three other stakes – including a runner-up effort in the 2024 Ruby – for Demeritte and owner Harry Veruchi. But late last year, the colt was entered in the Inglis Digital USA December sale.

“Unfortunately, due to my health, I have to let him go, but I’m confident he’ll bring success and joy to his next connections,” Demeritte said in a press release issued by Inglis. The trainer lives with various health issues, including a 1996 bone cancer diagnosis.

West Saratoga was a private sale following the online auction, purchased for $375,000 by Sheikh Rashid Bin Humaid Al Nuaimi’s RRR Racing. He is headed to Dubai trainer Doug Watson.

But Demeritte is not out of the game. He has sent out five starters at Turfway since racing started in early December and has two wins and two seconds. The latest win belongs to Grace On Grace. Demeritte, who purchased West Saratoga for just $11,000 as a yearling, has repeatedly said that his motto is, “I don’t buy cheap horses – I buy good horses cheap.” Grace On Grace also fits that bill as she was a $2,500 Keeneland September yearling purchase by the trainer for owner Francetta Allen. She has won twice from nine career starts, with her upset win in the Gowell returning $23.02 to backers in her stakes debut.

◗ Grace On Grace was one of several upset winners on Wednesday’s nine-race holiday card at Turfway. No post-time favorites won on the card – although two horses sent off as the second choice won their respective races. The average winning payout was $21.36.

Fueled by that start to the racing week, carryovers will likely again be a subject of interest this weekend. The pick five carryover into Thursday’s card at Turfway was $94,897, and the pick six jackpot carryover was $11,479.

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