Final Gambit goes from last to first in the Gr.3 Jeff Ruby Steaks

Juddmonte homebred Final Gambit, an impressive last-to-first maiden winner, ran by them all once again to pull off a 15-1 upset in Saturday's Gr.3 Jeff Ruby Steaks at Turfway Park, good for 100 points on the road to the Gr.1 Kentucky Derby.

Taken from the Thoroughbred Daily News, 23rd March 2025:

Final Gambit was bumped at the start and broke in a tangle and trailed the field of 12 through fractions of :22.97 and :47.91. The flashy gray began to launch with a sweeping move beneath Luan Machado on the far turn, was parked out in about the eight path at the top of the stretch and came rolling down the center of the course to win going away by three and a half lengths.

"I knew keeping (Final Gambit) in the clear around the turn would probably be best, but I was worried with how wide the horses on the front end were going," Machado said. "Sometimes when he's between horses he doesn't try as hard as when he's in the clear. He really closed fast down the lane and was impressive late."

Tessa Walden, assistant to winning trainer Brad Cox added, "He was visually impressive when he broke his maiden here. It gave us confidence he'd come with a run, especially with how he handled the surface this winter."