I’ll be straightforward with readers; this year’s running of the G3 Jeff Ruby Steaks is not a useful prep race for the Kentucky Derby. The winner may appear in the race, but that horse will almost certainly be up against it in their next start.
The difficulty of handicapping a race like this only makes its uselessness all the more frustrating. Deliberating between horses running on three different surfaces at a number of different tracks makes it more of a dartboard race than anything else. I’ve made conclusions where I can, but you’ll all have to give me a little rope on this one. Let’s get into it.