Fulleffort Attempts to Take Jeff Ruby Spotlight

St. Elias Stable and Starlight Racing's Fulleffort  has been full of effort throughout Turfway Park's 3-year-old stakes series, and he will have the opportunity to finally notch a victory in the $777,000 Jeff Ruby Steaks (G3) March 21.

The son of Liam's Map   has played the role of deep closer in the Jan. 17 Leonatus Stakes and Feb. 21 John Battaglia Memorial Stakes, flashing by most of the field to finish second by a length and a neck, respectively. He earned 10 qualifying points toward the May 2 Kentucky Derby (G1) at Churchill Downs from that finish in the Battaglia.

Neither of the two rivals who separately defeated him, Street Beast  or Great White , returns Saturday, and a stretch out in distance to 1 1/8 miles could give him the necessary time to run down the leaders.

Trainer Brad Cox won the Ruby last year with a deep closer, Final Gambit , who went on to finish fourth in the Kentucky Derby.

Final Gambit had entered the Ruby after a maiden victory. With two wins and two quality stakes performances under Fulleffort's belt already, Cox said on the March 2 episode of BloodHorse Monday that the colt is already ahead of Final Gambit at this point in their careers.

"We liked him a good bit (in the Battaglia) and he ran a great race," Cox said earlier this month. "He gets another sixteenth of a mile in the Ruby, and I think that's only going to help him. Distance—I think he'll be better at a mile and an eighth or more."

Video: John Battaglia Memorial S. (BT)

Fulleffort will see several familiar faces in the full field of 12 with Battaglia runners Maximus Prime  (third in Battaglia), Baytown Dreamer  (fourth), and Two Out Hero  (ninth) returning. There will also be plenty of new faces.

One thing in common among 11 of the runners is that their last start was on either turf or Tapeta, leaving questions about future Derby participation for the top five finishers, who will receive qualifying points on a 100-50-25-15-10 scale. The Derby is run at 1 1/4 miles on the Churchill Downs main track.

See the full Kentucky Derby points standings

The top two Ruby finishers typically have sufficient qualifying points to gain entry into the Derby if their connections wish to try their horses on dirt.

The lone runner to last race on dirt is Trade Winds Farm's Stop the Car , who was a stakes scratch in the Battaglia. Prior to that, he had won his first two starts for trainer Brendan Walsh around one turn in Kentucky before fading to seventh, beaten 5 3/4 lengths, in the Jan. 17 Lecomte Stakes (G3) at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots with a wide trip. He will break from post 12 in the Ruby.

Walsh also trains Calumet Farm's Black Hornet , last-out winner of the Black Gold Stakes on turf Feb. 28 at Fair Grounds.

The horses exiting grass races carry strong credentials. Michael McCarthy sends Amerman Racing's homebred Stark Contrast  from California, aiming to emulate the connections' victory with Endlessly  two years ago.

A grade 3 winner, the son of Caravaggio  was strong in defeat when facing top European hope Gstaad  in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G1T) in late October. Returning with a stakes win Jan. 8 at Santa Anita Park, he will stretch out beyond a mile for the first time.

Cox has also entered Argos , who won Woodbine's Summer Stakes (G1T) last year for trainer Riley Mott. This will be the Nyquist   colt's first start for Cox after finishing fifth in his seasonal debut, the Feb. 28 Colonel Liam Stakes at Gulfstream Park.

Bourbon Stakes (G2T) runner-up Turf Star , Pasadena Stakes runner-up Medici , and last-out maiden winners Chaos Agent  and Brave Force  complete the field.