Eleven rebels with a cause line up in the Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn Park Saturday and the race should clarify a few things about the Triple Crown picture.
The Grade 2 $900,000 mile and a sixteenth event has enticed only three stakes winners but the others are hoping to make their mark on this generation.
The Rebel Stakes winner will earn 50 points toward qualifying for the Kentucky Derby and to say that Bob Baffert owns this race of late is a bit of an understatement. The Hall of Fame trainer has shipped into Hot Springs, Arkansas and won this race five of the last 6 years. In 2015 American Pharoah used this race as a springboard to his Triple Crown season.
Baffert, what a surprise, is back again. American Anthem is now one of Baffert’s top bullets after Mastery was injured. The son of Bodemeister was game winning his debut. Despite the slop he ran a game second losing to Gormley in the Sham Stakes in January at Santa Anita. If the workouts are any indication, this runner is set for a monster race in the Rebel Stakes. He drilled solidly last month and he has posted a pair of best of the morning workouts at Anita in March.
Uncontested has been on a good race/bad race treadmill. He won his debut last year in a romp, popped and stopped in his other race at 2 when fourth in the Kentucky Jockey Club and beaten by McCraken. This Wayne Catalano student opened 2017 cashing in the $150,000 Smarty Jones Stakes and then made the lead but faded in the Grade 3 Southwest last month.
Sonneteer was bred by the famed Calumet Farm but he is zero for eight in his career and was fourth in his only stakes attempt.
Appalachian Gem nearly blew up the tote board when losing by a neck in his debut. He stretched out to a mile and faltered but was impressive earning his diploma. The best things he has going for him in the Rebel Stakes are his Hall of Fame connections, trainer Jack Van Berg, and jockey Gary Stevens.
Untrapped has run twice in Graded stakes since graduating in his 2016 finale. His trained Steve Asmussen is a legend at Oaklawn Park.
Lookin at Lee was in fine form for about two weeks last year at Ellis Park. He is yet another trained by Asmussen and has not ducked anybody. He took a stakes in his third career start, chased the Eclipse Award winner Empire Classic in the Breeders’ Futurity last year and then was fourth to that rival when he broke from the outside post in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. He can be his own worst enemy since he was a distant third in the Southwest last time.
Silver Bullion has to prove he can win going a route of ground. He brings tactical speed, draws the rail, and you can never dismiss a runner that is handled by Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas.
Silver Dust had a valid excuse in his debut when he walked out of the gate. The Randy Morse trainee broke his maiden impressively but was left with too much work to do in the Southwest when he drew the rail.
Petrov showed he has ability when he was second beaten just a head in the King’s Swan Stakes in December. He was far from disgraced in the Smarty Jones and the Southwest but he lost ground in the lane in both races.
Malagacy brings his unbeaten record to the party today in the Rebel Stakes. He caught the slop in the debut and won by 15 lengths. The $190,000 purchase returned last month in a $75,000 optional race and tracked in second but drew off by seven lengths with a 95 Beyer Speed Figure. The Todd Pletcher trainee will be routing for the first time. His sire Shackleford proved his stamina taking the Preakness Stakes. His dam was unraced but sibling Yanbian Express won a pair of dirt routes.
Royal Mo has never run a poor race. He ran second in his first two starts and graduated in his third attempt when he went a mile. Freshened from that Del Mar maiden breaker, this $300,000 colt returned in the Robert B. Lewis Stakes and drew off to win with a 94 Beyer.
You don’t spit on superman’s cape in this game. With that in mind, Bob Baffert’s American Anthem should be on the pace from the get go under jockey Mike Smith and he should assert himself in the lane for the win.
Rebel Stakes Enjoys the Spotlight
