Kentucky’s first of two 100-point majors en route to the 152nd Run for the Roses takes place Saturday at Turfway Park. The Grade 3 $777,000 Jeff Ruby on the Turfway synthetic precedes next month’s Grade 1 Blue Grass at Keeneland on the dirt.

Horseplayers with 1/ST BET and Xpressbet take advantage of up to a $10 money-back special promo on Triple Crown prep race win bets, featuring Saturday’s Louisiana Derby at Fair Grounds as well as the Jeff Ruby at Turfway Park. Get up to $10 back if your win bet finishes second or third when you bet with 1/ST BET and Xpressbet. Also play the $3,000 Exacta-Thon involving both full cards.

Let’s meet the contenders for the Jeff Ruby (Race 12):

#1-TURF STAR: Last year’s Bourbon Stakes runner-up disappointed in Gulfstream’s Kitten’s Joy in his only start at age 3. Graham Motion has saddled 3 Jeff Ruby winners in the synthetic era, led by 2011 Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom (also Adriano ’08 and Went the Day Well ’12). Jockey John Velazquez won this race in 2012 and 2014, the former teamed with Motion. The 1-for-5 colt tries blinkers for the first time after racing exclusively on turf to this point.

#2-FULLEFFORT: Potential favorite rallied for second in the John Battaglia Memorial and the Leonatus Stakes already this meet. Brad Cox looks to go back-to-back in this race after Final Gambit a year ago and become the fourth different trainer to win it in consecutive years (Mike Maker, Graham Motion, William Adams). Irad Ortiz Jr. rides here and bypasses the mount on Cox-trained Autobahn in the $1 million Louisiana Derby. Ortiz last rode Fulleffort in an October turf allowance victory at Keeneland, his only prior pairing. He piloted Field Pass to win this stakes in 2020.

#3-BAYTOWN DREAMER: Already this year has a 112-1 longshot fourth in the John Battaglia Memorial and 84-1 third in the Smarty Jones at Oaklawn. Exotics exploder trained by Paul McEntee will be ridden by Orlando Bocachica once again. He’s won just 1 of 11 and looks to snap a 7-race losing streak, but has a bullet local workout March 7 for this.

#4-TWO OUT HERO: Canadian raider had a rough trip from the far outside post 11 in the John Battaglia Memorial and tired while pursuing wide to finish ninth. That was his first start in 5 months. Returned to South Florida’s Palm Meadows winter base between starts and fired a bullet there March 14. War Front colt won last year’s Soaring Free and was third in the Grade 1 Summer behind Jeff Ruby return rival Argos. Local rider Gerardo Corrales replaces Rafael Hernandez for Woodbine leading conditioner Kevin Attard.

#5-BLACK HORNET: Fair Grounds’ Black Gold Stakes winner seeks a third straight win while changing surfaces to synthetic for the first time. The former Brad Cox trainee disappointed in 4 maiden dirt attempts but found a home on grass. Brendan Walsh trains the son of multiple champion Essential Quality. Declan Cannon rode for the first time in the Black Gold and returns in the saddle.

#6-MEDICI: California shipper led every jump but the last in a nose defeat in the Feb. 22 Pasadena Stakes. Veteran Richard Mandella and regular rider Mirco Demuro team with this Into Mischief home-bred who is 1-for-6 and a Dec. 29 maiden breaker at Santa Anita. West coasters like Endlessly (2024) and Blended Citizen (2018) have had some rather recent success in this race.

#7-MAXIMUS PRIME: The late-running, 88-1 third-place finisher in the John Battaglia Memorial has improved in all 3 starts at the meet but remains an 0-8 maiden. Anthony Mitchell trains this Maximus Mischief colt, who gets Joseph Ramos back in the irons after a solid debut pairing for them last out.

#8-CHAOS AGENT: Most lightly raced member of the field won his Feb. 5 debut at Gulfstream Park on the Tapeta surface and takes an immediate leap in class. The $350,000 Independence Hall colt overcame a tough trip to win that debut at 11-1 and now lures jockey Joel Rosario for Canadian-based trainer Josie Carroll. Dam Into Oblivion also won her debut (2014 at Del Mar) but never won again in a 10-race career.

#9-BRAVE FORCE: Co-owner Jack Oxley already has Oaklawn-based Silent Tactic firmly on the Derby trail and looks to add depth with his Feb. 29 sixth-start maiden breaker. Brave Force improved in recent starts with Lasix, but won’t have the medication by rule on Saturday. Trainer Jack Sisterson and jockey Vincent Cheminaud combine with this $145K son of Gun Runner.

#10-ARGOS: Last year’s Grade 1 Summer Stakes winner changes barns from Riley Mott – who won last week’s Virginia Derby with Incredibolt – to trainer Brad Cox. The well-traveled runner was eighth in traffic in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf and was a flat fifth in his 3YO return at Gulfstream in the Colonel Liam on turf. Cox and Luan Machado seek back-to-back wins in the Ruby after Final Gambit a year ago. Machado came into the week virtually tied with Walter Rodriguez in the pursuit of the leading rider crown at the TP meet. Cox is in a similar dogfight atop the trainer standings with Kelsey Danner and Mike Maker nipping at his heels.

#11-STARK CONTRAST (pictured): Michael McCarthy won this race 2 years ago with west coast raider Endlessly and looks for an encore with this highly credentialed son of Caravaggio. Stark Contrast finished second in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf at Del Mar, sandwiched between a Zuma Beach score last fall at Santa Anita and his Jan. 8 return win in the Eddie Logan at The Great Race Place – all of that resume built on turf. Kazushi Kimura has ridden in all 5 starts.

#12-STOP THE CAR: The only all-dirt performer in the Ruby lineup, Brendan Walsh’s Maximum Security colt has won 2 of 3 starts. The Keeneland and Churchill 1-turn winner last season didn’t get involved Jan. 17 in the Grade 3 Lecomte at Fair Grounds when a flat seventh. Edgar Morales takes the mount for the first time.