Betting With, and Against, Eunomia in the 2026 Ruffian Stakes

Seven fillies and mares will go postward in the $200,000 Ruffian (G2) at Aqueduct on Saturday. The one-mile affair is led by the Saffie Joseph-trained #3 Eunomia (6-5), a rising four-year-old who exits a narrow defeat in the Doubledogdare (G2) at Keeneland most recently. 

Eunomia – With

• $10 exacta 3 with 5,6,7 ($30)
• $.50-cent superfecta 3 with 5,6,7 with 5,6,7 with all ($12)

Eunomia – Against

• $2 trifecta 5,6,7 with 3,5,6,7 with 3,5,6,7 ($36)
• $.50-cent superfecta 6,7 with 6,7 with 3,5 with all ($8)

By Tiz the Law, the four-year-old joined this outfit in December and has posted a pair of wins and two graded stakes placings for her new conditioner, with her top victory coming in the Sandy Bottom S. at Colonial Downs on March 14. The $190,000 purchase has elevated her game since focusing solely on dirt tilts and comes into the Ruffian with a nice four-furlong move at Palm Meadows in advance of the contest. She has excellent gate presence, and the early speed to be a factor from the start in the one-turn tilt, and the Kentucky-bred will have Sahin Civaci on board for the initial time. 

#6 Irish Maxima (5-1) is an interesting one in the group for trainer John Servis. The five-year-old daughter of Maximus Mischief loves to win, evidenced by her 10-for-17 lifetime mark, with two of those tallies coming on this surface, led by a triumph in the 2025 Distaff (G3). The Kentucky-bred bay comes in off a pair of dominant wins in the allowance ranks in succession, and the mare might be the one to catch throughout as the likely pacesetter beneath regular rider Frankie Pennington. 

The twice Grade-1 placed #7 Dry Powder (5-1) didn’t offer much in the La Troienne (G1) on Kentucky Derby Day and wheels back quickly on short rest for Chad Summers. The Gun Runner four-year-old has checked in second twice from two attempts on the Aqueduct dirt in advance of Saturday, and the bay has put in three of her more consistent performances to date at the one-mile trip, as well. The lass will track from the second flight early while clear throughout under Kazushi Kimura. 

Chad Brown’s #5 Inefficiency (3-1) is two-for-two in her brief career and has yet to be challenged leading up to her stakes debut. The Constitution four-year-old has displayed early speed as well as a fine turn of foot in each lifetime run, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see her in a good striking position at the top of the lane with Flavien Prat taking the reins. The $350,000 yearling purchase could be up to the task on the big class rise. 

UPCOMING: Follow the Preakness Stakes with TwinSpires