Grade 2, $200,000 Jerome; one mile and 70 yards; Aqueduct; Jan. 4 (10 Kentucky Derby eligibility points to the winner, 4 for second, 2 for third, 1 for fourth) In icy cold weather on Aqueduct’s winterized inner track, Noble Moon lived up to his 4-5 odds to score a gritty two-length victory in 1:45.08 over Classic Giacnroll in the one mile and 70-yard Jerome Stakes, the first formally recognized Kentucky Derby prep race of 2014. The Jerome had no stakes winners in the field, and Noble Moon only earned a modest 85 Beyer Speed Figure, which by comparison was six points below the 91 Beyer Figure earned by Commissioner and Top Billing in an entry-level allowance route at Gulfstream on Jan 3. Yet, Noble Moon gave trainer Leah Gyarmati legitimate reasons to believe she might be working with a potential Kentucky Derby contender. For one obvious thing, Noble Moon proved he can handle two turns effectively. For another, he displayed noticeable maturity in his third career outing after having won only a maiden sprint in his career debut at Belmont Sept. 14 and rallying for third after a poor start in the one-mile, one-turn Nashua Stakes at Aqueduct on Nov. 3. In the Jerome, Noble Moon was briefly bothered leaving the gate, but recovered quickly to patiently stalk longshot front-runner Pin and Win through the first three and a half furlongs. He then responded smoothly to light encouragement from jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. to take the lead approaching the far turn. Through his final three furlongs, the son of Malibu Moon did his most encouraging work, fighting off multiple challenges while hinting at room for further development. [ROAD TO THE KENTUCKY DERBY: Prep races, point standings, replays] Coming out of the final bend, Noble Moon repulsed the bid of the Todd Pletcher-trained Master Lightning, then resisted a sustained inside challenge from the maiden Scotland while also turning back Classic Giacnroll after that one had moved up strongly from sixth to second while wide on both turns. In my judgment only Noble Moon emerged from the Jerome as a potential Derby type, but the second- and third-place finishers ran well enough to deserve a closer look when they come back for their next outing, perhaps against Noble Moon in the $250,000 Withers on Feb. 1, or the $500,000 Gotham on March 1. Both of those 1 1/16-mile stakes are logical stepping-stones toward the nine-furlong, $1 million Wood Memorial, April 5. Classic Giacnroll certainly could do better if he learns how to change leads, and Scotland, a maiden with a pair of seconds in 2013, seemed to briefly lose his action on the first turn and hesitated a bit while pinned inside the winner through the final quarter-mile. Still, he was able to hold on to third over late-finishing Matuszak, while all but Master Lightning and Pin and Win closed ground late to give their connections some hope for their next engagements. Next week: The Grade 3, $100,000 Sham Stakes, one mile, at Santa Anita Park.