Following a series of several solid workouts prior to his debut last fall, including a four-furlong 47 3/5 bullet from the gate on October 21 and a solid 49 3/5 move on November 21, Little Roo Roo broke a step slow in his Nov. 23 career debut and passed tired rivals late to finish fifth in a field of eight West Virginia-bred two-year-olds.

Three weeks later in another two-turn maiden special weight event for state-bred juveniles, Little Roo Roo again offered little and finished 10th and last on December 14.

“I was really disappointed with his first two starts,” said Jones, who owns and trains the Limehouse gelding that he and longtime family friend Sherwood Bryant bred. “He had shown me a lot in the morning. I really thought that he was going to win his first start, but he broke slow and passed horses late. I put him on Lasix for his second start, but he didn’t run well that night, either. I was really puzzled by those first two races.”

Having shown little in two starts against maiden special weight foes, beaten a total of 30 lengths in those two events, Little Roo Roo was dismissed at 21-1 when he made his sophomore debut against similar foes on January 4. Racing on Lasix for the second time and again with rider Marshall Mendez aboard for a second straight outing, Little Roo Roo gained command soon after the break, rebuffed a mid-race challenge, then drew clear to a 4 1/2-length score in 1:22.14 for the 6 1/2-furlongs.

“He finally put it all together that first start this year,” Jones said. “He finally showed speed, and he was able to put away the other speed horses and draw off.”

Jones then began to look for an entry level allowance for the Limehouse gelding and found one on February 1, although it meant cutting him back to a one-turn dash for the first time. With few other options, Jones decided to give Little Roo Roo a chance to tackle winners in the 4 1/2-furlong affair.

He again delivered, forging an 11-1 upset by getting the distance in 52.33. With Mendez aboard once again, Little Roo Roo stalked the pace early before powering to another four-length score while defeating five foes with stakes experience.

Little Roo Roo,now owns two wins and over $40,000 banked from four career outings. He is 4-1 on the morning line for Thursday’s seven-furlong contest, which also includes flashy first-out winner Runaldo (7-5) and WV Futurity winner No Love for Juba (7-2). He has the look of a horse moving in the right direction.

“He’s really a nice horse. To have a homebred turn out the way he has is a pleasant surprise,” Jones said. “I always knew he had the ability, He always showed it in the morning. It was just a matter of seeing him put it all together under the lights.”