The Road to the Kentucky Derby (G1) heads under the lights for the $175,000 John Battaglia Memorial at Turfway Park.
The race offering Derby points on Saturday attracted an overflow field of 13 for the 1 1/16-mile race set to go at 9:55 pm (ET). Only 12 can compete, leaving Small Town on the also-eligible list, hoping for a defection.
The winner banks 20 Derby qualifying points in this stepping stone to Turfway’s Jeff Ruby Stakes (G3) on March 21, a huge Derby prep at the top of the points-earning scale at 100-50-25-15-10.
The races at Turfway are tricky business for handicappers looking ahead for Derby clues, as they are run over a synthetic surface. The Derby has always (and probably always will be) run on old-fashioned dirt. Some horses can transition from all-weather tracks to conventional dirt. Some can’t.
But it can be done. Rich Strike ran fourth in the Battaglia and third in the Jeff Ruby before stunning the horse racing world in the 2022 Derby.
The horse that can unquestionably handle the synthetic footing is Street Beast, the 5-2 morning-line favorite leaving from the rail. He is the fastest horse in the race, and he checks all the boxes: post position, speed, and class.
Street Beast is the top money earner in the field with $885,784, a good chunk of that earned with the victory in the $1 million Juvenile Mile on the turf at Kentucky Downs. That win propelled him to the big show: the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (G1), where he turned in an excellent effort to get fourth.
He broke alertly in the BC Juvenile Turf, settling into third in the early stages before moving to challenge at the top of the lane. He was bumped and squeezed by Gstaad, the eventual winner, which likely cost him a better placing.
Trainer Ben Colebrook laid him up after that, and Street Beast made his 2026 debut a winning one with a strong front-running score last month in the Turfway’s Leonatus Stakes.
On paper, the Battaglia is Street Beast’s to lose. He already owns a stakes win over the surface and has a solid class foundation.
At 8-1, Attfield deserves a closer look. Trainer Tom Morley ships in from New York, where Attfield won the Central Park Stakes on the turf at Aqueduct in his most recent outing. The colt is 2-for-3, all on the grass.
Stop the Car, also 8-1, started his career with wins at Keeneland and Churchill Downs before stepping up to run a disappointing seventh in the Lecomte Stakes (G3) at the Fair Grounds, where he was well considered at 9-2. This could be his rebound spot.
For those staying up late on Saturday night, here are the selections:
Also-eligible
The writing team at US Racing is comprised of both full-time and part-time contributors with expertise in various aspects of the Sport of Kings.
