This weekend, Turfway Park hosts a leg of the Kentucky Derby trail, sponsored by Woodford Reserve, featuring the $175,000 John Battaglia Memorial Stakes. This event is for 3-year-old thoroughbreds competing over 1 1/16 miles on the synthetic surface at Turfway. The John Battaglia Memorial offers 42 Kentucky Derby qualification points, awarded to the top five participants in a 20-10-6-4-2 allocation, and functions as a preliminary event for the upcoming 100-point Jeff Ruby Steaks in March. The current running of the race features a complete lineup of 12 horses, alongside one alternate.
Below is an overview of the contenders, arranged by their post position starting from the inside rail:
Street Beast, installed as the 5-2 morning-line favorite, received the innermost starting position. Trained by Ben Colebrook, he will have his consistent jockey Luan Machado in the irons once more. This son of Street Sense led from start to finish in his most recent outing at the Leonatus Stakes at Turfway, which marked his first race as a 3-year-old, after concluding his 2-year-old season with a fourth-place effort in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf at Del Mar. Steel Imperium made a remarkable comeback from the rear of the field to secure a four-length win in his initial race start at Turfway merely two weeks prior, achieving an Equibase Speed Figure of 91. Maximus Prime, the only horse in this contest yet to break his maiden, is set for his sixth competitive appearance under trainer Anthony Mitchell, having started his racing journey with the deceased Larry Demeritte. Kilo Tango, one of two entries from the Brad Cox barn, achieved his inaugural victory in his third lifetime start in his last race, which also happened to be his initial attempt on Turfway’s synthetic surface. Baytown Dreamer claimed a turf victory at Ellis Park during July, then secured third place in the Smarty Jones Stakes on dirt at Oaklawn Park early in January, and now prepares for his debut on an all-weather track. Time for Money, conditioned by John Ennis, earned a win on the turf at Churchill Downs in October and is scheduled for his second race at Turfway after his previous fourth-place finish. Attfield recently triumphed in the Central Park Stakes at Aqueduct, a 1 1/16-mile turf event, and is now poised for his inaugural race on a synthetic track. Ricardo Santana Jr. will remain as his jockey after their shared success in the last outing. Great White, also under the guidance of John Ennis, broke his maiden in his very first race at Turfway on December 12, prior to achieving a fifth-place result in the Leonatus Stakes in his most recent start. Stop the Car began his career with two consecutive wins before placing seventh in the Lecomte Stakes at Fair Grounds for conditioner Brendan Walsh. Aces Honor, under the direction of Ethan West, arrives after securing consecutive wins on turf, which includes his recent triumph in the Bob Bork Texas Turf Mile Stakes at Sam Houston Race Park. Fulleffort is positioned as the second favorite with 3-1 morning line odds and represents the second entry from trainer Brad Cox. He secured second place in his last race behind Street Beast in the Leonatus Stakes, which was his initial appearance on a synthetic track after running four successive races on turf. Two Out Hero commenced his racing career with a dominant 12-length victory on Woodbine’s synthetic surface, subsequently achieving success in the Soaring Free Stakes and finishing third in the bet365 Summer Stakes on Woodbine’s turf course. He is slated to compete for the first time outside of Canada for trainer Kevin Attard, with his customary jockey Rafael Hernandez returning to ride. Small Town, designated as the alternate in this lineup, celebrated his maiden victory in a six-furlong dash at Turfway on January 10, campaigned by trainer Michael McCarthy.
Key Competitors and Race Outlook:
Designated as the third favorite with 7-2 morning-line odds, Two Out Hero offers considerable betting appeal, coming off an impressive third-place effort where he was defeated by only a length in Woodbine’s Summer Stakes in September. Following his striking debut win over six furlongs in July, Two Out Hero built on that performance by winning the Soaring Free Stakes by 1 ½ lengths, extending to 6 ½ furlongs on turf. During this progression, his Equibase Speed Figure rose from 83 to 90. Interestingly, the horse who finished third in that race, Argos, later beat Two Out Hero in the Summer Stakes. Despite not clinching victory in the Summer Stakes, Two Out Hero demonstrated a commendable performance in his initial two-turn race on turf, briefly seizing the lead in the stretch after drifting wide from the rail before being overtaken in the final moments. For this display, Two Out Hero achieved a personal best Equibase Figure of 94, illustrating a consistent improvement in his figures with each outing. Two Out Hero comes into the John Battaglia following a nearly 5 ½-month absence; nevertheless, trainer Kevin Attard boasts a 22% win rate with horses returning from a 60- to 180-day rest. Although Attard has only had four career starts at Turfway Park, his latest entrant at the venue, Caitlinhergrtness, secured a victory in the My Charmer Stakes in late December. Two Out Hero has demonstrated a clear preference for synthetic tracks, exhibited adaptability by both leading and tracking, and has capably managed two-turn races at a graded level. As most betting focus is anticipated to be on Street Beast and Fulleffort, Two Out Hero provides attractive odds, benefiting from a reduction in competitive class here.
Fulleffort, a sibling to the Grade 1 champion Power Squeeze, has exhibited consistent improvement throughout his racing journey and enters this event having achieved his third successive increase in Equibase Speed Figure, recording a 93 during his second-place finish behind Street Beast in the Leonatus Stakes. Despite settling for the runner-up position, Fulleffort was gaining ground against slow initial fractions and is expected to gain an advantage from both a more challenging pace and the increased distance to 1 1/16 miles in the John Battaglia, a length over which he achieved a convincing win on turf at Keeneland in October. This colt, sired by Liam’s Map, commenced his career with three one-mile turf races, securing fourth and third places at Ellis Park before triumphing at Kentucky Downs with an 86 Equibase Speed Figure. He then built on that performance with the previously mentioned allowance optional claiming win at Keeneland, pulling ahead by five lengths and boosting his Equibase Speed Figure to 90. The Leonatus represented Fulleffort’s inaugural race on a synthetic surface, and despite closing into a leisurely pace, he concluded strongly. This animal is rated second in the Battaglia lineup for Late Pace at 103.0 and benefits from excellent associations, as trainer Brad Cox has a 29% win rate and a 63% top-three finish rate in all-weather route races at Turfway over the last three years (across 128 starts). With this being his second race on Turfway’s track, Fulleffort seems prepared to advance further.
Given the limited number of front-running horses declared for the Battaglia, Street Beast looks strategically placed to dictate the early tempo, mirroring his wire-to-wire triumph in the Leonatus Stakes at Turfway during his previous outing. His career performance has been exceptionally steady, with only one instance of finishing outside the top two, that being the previously noted fourth-place result in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf. Street Beast commenced his career with a second-place finish in an Ellis Park turf sprint in August before achieving a breakthrough allowance win at Kentucky Downs. Subsequently, he delivered an emphatic seven-length win in the Juvenile Mile Stakes, also at Kentucky Downs, in his inaugural attempt at a route distance. The bay gelding recorded a career-high Equibase Speed Figure of 102 (also the highest in this field) in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf, preceding a 95 Equibase Figure in the Leonatus after competing in a lower class. In that particular race, Street Beast managed the pace, clocked measured early splits of 24.15 and 48.54, and maintained his advantage securely to win by a length. The John Battaglia will be his initial race covering more than a mile, yet Street Beast’s demonstrated tactical quickness and established caliber position him as a significant contender once more. He has registered impressive training sessions on the Keeneland synthetic track since his latest victory and is expected to achieve a beneficial race position, offering another chance to lead the field throughout.
The remaining participants in the race, along with their highest Equibase Speed Figures from comparable events, include Steel Imperium (91), Maximus Prime (93), Kilo Tango (84), Baytown Dreamer (82), Time for Money (85), Attfield (91), Great White (87), Stop the Car (91), Aces Honor (98), and Small Town (87).
Top Contenders for Victory, Ranked:
Two Out Hero
Fulleffort
Street Beast
