Endlessly likely to skip Derby

Endlessly, who dominated the Grade 3, $700,000 Jeff Ruby Steaks on Saturday at Turfway Park, was to ship to trainer Michael McCarthy’s Churchill Downs barn on Sunday – but most likely not to prepare for the Kentucky Derby, despite essentially assuring himself a spot in the field.

McCarthy expressed a strong preference postrace to target turf stakes with the colt, who earned 100 points toward the Derby starting gate with his four-length win in the Ruby on Tapeta, earning a career-high Beyer Speed Figure of 91. McCarthy said Sunday morning that Endlessly emerged from that effort in good order.

His campaign could continue with the Grade 2, $600,000 American Turf for 3-year-olds on the Kentucky Derby undercard. McCarthy said the Derby will be “way in the back of my mind” as Endlessly trains at Churchill in the coming weeks.

“I’ve seen his works on the dirt, and I think they’re decent, satisfactory, but the Derby’s a whole different sort of beast,” McCarthy said. “We’ll enjoy this for right now, but like I said, I would prefer to keep it on the grass.”

Endlessly, who runs as a homebred for Amerman Racing, is 5 for 6 lifetime, with wins in the Grade 3 Del Mar Juvenile Turf and Grade 3 Zuma Beach Stakes on the grass last year, and the El Camino Real Derby and Grade 3 Ruby, both at 1 1/8 miles on synthetic, this year. His only loss to date came when eighth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf.

“I think his record speaks for himself,” McCarthy said. “His only unfortunate defeat was in the Breeders’ Cup; still ran sneaky good that day. I think he’s as good a 3-year-old as there is. Granted, he’s shown it on synthetic and shown it on turf, but I think at the end of the year, he’ll still be in that conversation.”

West Saratoga going to Derby

West Saratoga, second to Endlessly in the Jeff Ruby on Saturday at Turfway Park, will proceed to the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs, having likely amassed the points to get into the starting gate.

West Saratoga, trained by Larry Demeritte for Harry Veruchi, won the first points race toward the Kentucky Derby, last September’s Grade 3 Iroquois Stakes at Churchill Downs, before finishing fifth in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland.

This year, he has made a steady progression, finishing a distant second to Book’em Danno around one turn in the Pasco Stakes at Tampa Bay – a race Demeritte indicated was to help run the colt fit – before running third to No More Time and Agate Road in the Grade 3 Sam F. Davis Stakes.

On Saturday at Turfway, West Saratoga was beaten four lengths by Endlessly, while edging Seize the Grey by a head for second. The 50 points he secured give him a total of 67, and he earned a career-best 85 Beyer.

“I’m so excited to be in the Kentucky Derby,” said Demeritte, who would saddle his first runner in the classic. “He ran a great race and dug in to hold second. We’ll probably take him over to Keeneland and train for the Derby there.”