The Jeff Ruby Steaks (a

homophone A homophone () is a word that is pronounced the same as another word but differs in meaning or in spelling. The two words may be spelled the same, for example ''rose'' (flower) and ''rose'' (past tense of "rise"), or spelled differently, a ...

of the word Stakes, for commercial reasons) is a Grade III

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

thoroughbred horse race Thoroughbred racing is a sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport – flat racing and jump racing, the latter known as National Hunt racing in ...

for three-year-olds at a distance of a one and one-eighth miles on the synthetic track in late March at

Turfway Park Turfway Park is an American horse racing track located within the city limits of Florence, Kentucky, about south of the Ohio River at Cincinnati. The track conducts live Thoroughbred horse racing during two meets each year—Holiday (December), ...

Florence, Kentucky Florence is a city in Boone County, Kentucky, United States, part of the Cincinnati metropolitan area. The population was 31,946 at the 2020 census, making it the second-most populous city in Northern Kentucky, the eighth-most populous city i ...

. The event is part of the

Road to the Kentucky Derby The Road to the Kentucky Derby is a points system by which horses qualify for a position in the starting gate for the Kentucky Derby. It features dozens of stakes races for 2 and 3-year-old Thoroughbreds – the number and specific races have chang ...

and offers a purse of $777,000.

History

The event was inaugurated on 1 April 1972 as the Latonia Spiral Stakes over a distance of one mile, established by the General Manager of the Latonia race track John Battaglia for horses "spiraling up" to the

Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby () is an American Graded stakes race, Grade I stakes Thoroughbred racing, race run at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The race is run by three-year-old Thoroughbreds at a distance of . Colt (horse), Colts and geldin ...

. The race in its infancy attracted many entries and the administration of the track decided to run the event in two divisions in the following years: 1973, 1974, 1975, 1977, 1978, and 1980. In 1982,

bourbon whiskey Bourbon whiskey (; also simply bourbon) is a Aging (food), barrel-aged American whiskey made primarily from corn (maize). The name derives from the Kingdom of France, French House of Bourbon, although the precise source of inspiration is uncerta ...

maker

Jim Beam Jim Beam is an American brand of bourbon whiskey produced primarily at James B. Beam Distilling Co. in Clermont, Kentucky by Suntory Global Spirits. It is one of the best-selling brands of bourbon in the world. Since 1795 (interrupted by Prohi ...

acquired naming rights sponsorship and the race was renamed the Jim Beam Spiral Stakes. That year the distance of event was increased to miles. Two years later the event was named the Jim Beam Stakes. The sponsorship deal lasted for 17 years, and the event attracted many of the prominent three-year-olds during that time. In 1984, the event was upgraded to Grade III status. In 1988, two years after the track changed owners and was renamed Turfway Park, it was upgraded to a Grade II race and was lengthened to miles. In 1999 the race was sponsored for one year by

Jim McIngvale James Franklin McIngvale (born February 11, 1951), also known as "Mattress Mack", is an American businessman. He is known for owning and operating the Gallery Furniture retail chain, based in Houston, Texas. Early life and education McIngval ...

of the Gallery Furniture chain of retail stores, and was run as the Galleryfurniture.com Stakes. In 2003,

Lane's End Farm Lane's End Farm is a Thoroughbred horse breeding farm in Versailles, Kentucky established in 1979. The original land was part of Bosque Bonita Farm and was originally owned by Abraham Buford, a Confederate Army general. The land was later boug ...

took over sponsorship of the event for eight years. In 2006, the race was run for the first time over an all-weather surface. It was downgraded back to Grade III status in 2011. Vinery Racing sponsored the Spiral Stakes in 2011 and 2012. In 2013, Horseshoe Casino Cincinnati became the sponsor of the race for five years. As of 2018 the race is sponsored by

Jeff Ruby Jeffrey Ruby (born Brian Jeffrey Kranz) is an American restaurateur and businessman. He owns several restaurants in Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee. Life Jeff Ruby was born in Newark, New Jersey. He left home at the age of 15 and rented a small ro ...

Culinary Entertainment, owner of Jeff Ruby's Steakhouses. As part of the sponsorship, the race is referred to as the Jeff Ruby Steaks (similar to other sporting events named for a product). In 1991 Hansel set a track and stakes record while winning the Jim Beam Stakes on his way to winning champion three-year-old honors, while

Serena's Song Serena's Song (foaled April 4, 1992) is an American Thoroughbred race horse. She won 17 graded stakes races, including 11 Graded stakes race, Grade I (some against males and older mares), in three seasons for $3,286,388 in earnings. Background ...

became the first

filly A filly is a female horse that is too young to be called a mare. There are two specific definitions in use: *In most cases, a ''filly'' is a female horse under four years old. *In some nations, such as the United Kingdom and the United States ...

to win the race in 1995. Winners who would go on to capture at least one of the

American Classic Races In the United States, the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing, commonly known as the Triple Crown, is a series of horse races for three-year-old Thoroughbreds, consisting of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes. The three r ...

include

Summer Squall Summer Squall (March 12, 1987 – September 22, 2009) was an American thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse and Horse breeding#Terminology, sire, best known for his win in the 1990 Preakness Stakes, and his rivalry with Unbridled, whom he defeated ...

(1990), Lil E. Tee (1992),

Prairie Bayou Prairie Bayou (March 4, 1990 – June 5, 1993) was an American Thoroughbred Champion racehorse owned and bred by Loblolly Stable of Lake Hamilton, Arkansas. Named for a bayou between Little Rock and Hot Springs in Arkansas, he was sired by Litt ...

(1993), and Animal Kingdom (2011).

Records

Speed record * miles – 1:46.60 Hansel (1991) * miles – 1:42.00 Banner Bob (1985) * 1 mile – 1:36.60 Major Run (1980) Margins * 15 lengths – Bootlegger's Pet (1973) * 13 lengths – Five Star General (1980) * lengths – Balto Star (2001) Most wins by an owner * 4 – Golden Chance Farm (1977, 1978, 1980 (2)) Most wins by a jockey * 5 –

Pat Day Patrick Alan "Pat" Day (born October 13, 1953, in Brush, Colorado) is a retired American jockey. He is a four-time winner of the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey and was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1991 an ...

(1984, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1992) Most wins by a trainer * 7 – William E. Adams (1977 (2), 1978 (2), 1979, 1980 (2))

Winners

''Legend:''

''Notes:''
ƒ Filly

External links

Turfway Park Media Guide 2018–19

References

{{reflist, 2 Turfway Park horse races Flat horse races for three-year-olds Triple Crown Prep Races Graded stakes races in the United States Grade 3 stakes races in the United States Horse races established in 1972 1972 establishments in Kentucky Horse racing in Kentucky Horse races in Kentucky

History

Records

Winners

See also

External links

References