Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/1105396
C O N S T E L L A T I O N C O N S T E L L A T I O N WinStarFarm.com The Jeff Ruby Experience 56 About eight years ago, Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith and Ruby came to an agreement. It was written out on a cocktail napkin at one of Ruby's restaurants and basically said Smith would wear jockey pants with Ruby's logo on it, and in exchange, Ruby would donate money to the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund. Charity is an important part of Ruby's work, and it extends well beyond horse racing. For example, in 2018, the Jeff Ruby Foundation turned its focus toward at-risk youth and foster children in Cincinnati. That said, jockeys wearing the Jeff Ruby logo have gone on quite a run in high-profile races. "Mike is a friend, he is like family to me," said Ruby. "He calls me Dad, and I call him Son. He was the first one we did the jockey pant thing with. I have also been friends with Bob Baffert for a long time. He is one of my most loyal celebrity friends. Last year, they just happened to team up with Justify." When undefeated Triple Crown winner Justify, who WinStar campaigned in partnership, splashed to victory in the Kentucky Derby, Smith was on his back. The Jeff Ruby logo was prominent on the white pants of the winning jockey, and they would be again in the Preakness Stakes. Ruby, who now pays jockeys to wear his logo in addition to making charitable donations, has a whole host of riders who do so. That meant for five consecutive Triple Crown races, his name was carried into the winner's circle, as he won his own Triple Crown of sorts in 2017 thanks to future WinStar stallion Always Dreaming (John Velazquez) in the Derby, Cloud Computing (Javier Castellano) in the Preakness, and Tapwrit (Jose Ortiz) in the Belmont. "My brand was on five straight Triple Crown race victories," said Ruby. "They were on the Kentucky Oaks winner, too. They are now on display and signed by the jockeys. I have this longstanding relationship with Mike, and we are going to renew it this year. Mike happened to be on Justify, so that justified me being with WinStar. Elliott Walden was kind enough to provide me with WinStar silks to hang in the Breeders' Table room." Ultimately, although Jeff Ruby's Steakhouse, Lexington is brand new, the concept of it is a familiar one to many locals. Afterall, they have been making the drive to Cincinnati and back for decades. That loyalty is something Ruby wants to repay. "Lexington is a city I have been wanting to do even before the CentrePointe thing began," said Ruby. "I was looking at it for years before that, but I never found the right spot for it. I was always talked out of it, but I have wanted this for a long time. "The people of Lexington have been coming to our restaurants for 38 years. They have been supporting me since 1981, when I opened my f irst restaurant. That means you are driving three hours just to have dinner, plus you are at the restaurant two hours. I have met thousands of people from Lexington and the surrounding area who came to Cincinnati just to have dinner." The commitment to making that drive, as well as an experience Ruby had with one of his customers many years ago, remained major forces in his determination to turn the Lexington restaurant into the reality it is today. "One night, I was standing outside the Cincinnati restaurant, and I had one guy tell me, 'Jeff, we don't mind driving up here to have dinner. It's the drive back. Please open in Lexington.' I will never forget that guy. He was getting in the car with his wife, and I just happened to be by the valet stand when he was leaving. I said, 'I am telling you, we are going to do it one day.' "I hope that guy is still alive or that he hasn't moved and that he can come. I hope he remembers telling me that. I have never been as excited to do a restaurant as I am to do this one. I have never been fonder of the people of any city than I am of the people of Lexington." I have never been fonder of the people of any city than I am of the people of Lexington. Jeff Ruby " " Giving Back Paying Off Steak Collinsworth Steak & Lobster