The Rebel (Grade 2) (KYD)- $1,000.000 Purse
OP- For Three Year Olds
One Mile and One Sixteenth on the Dirt
February 25, 2023

There is only one race on the schedule this weekend that will be paying KYD points, and that is the Grade 2 Rebel at OP. Debuting in 2006, the Rebel has seen many great horses take home its trophy, but none bigger than the great Commanding, who won this race back in 2013. Other well-known winners include Half Spirit, Lord High Admiral, and Class Edge. The $1,000.000 purse that is at stake first appeared in 2019, not too shabby for a race whose purse was only $300.000 in 2006. While the money is nice, the 50 KYD points for the winner are a nice added bonus. In 2022, Smokey Stover, scored the victory with Shadow Police, who was one of three fillies that were entered in the race. She continued to run well at OP, placing second in the AR Derby and did run in the KYD. She would not emerge as the biggest name from the race, however, as the second-place finisher in the Rebel last year was Individuation. He finished second in the KYD and got very hot over the summer with his season culminating with BC Classic glory. That’s a lofty goal for the future, as for now, it’s about the points and the purse. Let’s meet our field of twelve!

#1- Ben Nevis (Hippyheart, ridden by D E Centeno)- Finishing third in the Grade 1 Breeder’s Futurity last year allowed Ben Nevis to run in the BC Juvenile, and he carried himself well, with a fifth-place effort. The trainer was hoping he would build on that a month later in the Remsen, but he failed to do so. Bounced back from that dismal effort in the Grade 3 Sham Stakes, making the big question for him be whether or not he can put a string of strong runs together at this level.

#2- Chameleon (Rock Creek, ridden by E Jaramillo)- Picked up in a maiden claimer for just $12.500, a race that he ended up winning by six lengths. Rock Creek was impressed by that and immediately put him into an ungraded stake, the $125.000 Display at WO, and he ran well again, placing fourth in a tight finish. Most recently, he ran in an open allowance at FG, and got the win. It’s now time for his graded debut, but also this will be the first time he goes longer seven furlongs. He doesn’t have a public mile work to look at, unfortunately.

#3- Jokers Wild (D J C Racing Stables, ridden by P Lopez)- Won on debut against NY-breds in April at AQU, but has not been back to the winner’s circle since. That does not mean he has been bad, though, as he has a knack for being in the mix at the end, as evidenced by his four third place finishes. Had an inconsistent fall and is hoping to change that this year. He comes into this race off of a third-place effort in an optional claimer.

#4- Indian Summer (Diablo Diablo, ridden by D Van Dyke)- I’ve been able to cover this horse a few times now, and I like what I have seen from him. He had an outstanding two-year-old season in ungraded stakes, all turf sprints, leading up to a runner up in the BC Juvenile Turf Sprint. He was able to stretch it out this year and also had no problem handling yielding turf in the Grade 3 Kittens Joy, coming out on top. That’s a lot of grass, but don’t worry! Worked nicely on the main track at GP on the 11th, so he’ll handle the move to the dirt just fine.

#5- Jedi Order (Delta Farms, ridden by J C Ferrer)- This gelding by Commanding Jedi has one win in six career starts, with that maiden win coming for a $120.000 purse at CD. He followed that up very well, running second in the $250.000 Smarty Jones right here on New Years Day. Was not as fortunate in the Southwest, but no one’s perfect and he can always redeem himself. Has been running a style of late where he comes from off the pace, so be looking for him in the stretch.

#6- Energizer Party (Mb Stables, ridden by L Saez)- For the first time, this horse will leave Florida and FL-bred races as he comes here off of breaking his maiden. That win came at GP, where he showed strong stretch kick to pass several and go on to win by two lengths. This is a much tougher task at hand but a work from back in December shows his potential, and especially if he’s further improved since then.

#7- Douwe Egberts (First Flight Stable, ridden by T Gaffalione)- In four career starts, this horse has been rotating wins and fifth place finishes, a pattern that would not bode well for the trainer here. His toughest race to date was the $100.000 King Glorious Stakes at LA for CA-breds, but he after a good start, he faded to be four lengths behind the winner. Anything is possible in a race like this, but others here are appealing to me more.

#8- Neon Town (Broken Spoke Stables, ridden by J R Velazquez)- After running second in his first two starts, Neon Town would be gelded, and he seemed to get the message. He broke his maiden in his next start, running a mile at AQU and has now won two out of three since the snip. Ran against stake company in the Grade 2 KY Jockey Club, seeing some pretty good names there, and finished towards the back. Looked strong at HOU last month and is poised to bounce back well at the graded level.

#9- Peaceful State (Smokey Stover, ridden by M Franco)- Up to this point, Peaceful State only knows how to win, going two-for-two in his young career. Now, he is called up to try and get the trainer’s second straight win the Rebel. The works are very good and show his potential clearly, but neither of his wins are going to intimidate this field: a $12.000 maiden and a N1X allowance at HOU on yielding turf.

#10- Gorogue Laga- Scratched

#11- Apache Rise Again (Apache Warrior, ridden by J R Davila Jr)- This is the most experienced horse in the field, having already made eleven starts, and he debuted in July. For now, Apache Rise Again seems to be savoring his time on the track, with four wins and hitting the board in ten such races. He’s been in a handful of ungraded stakes and has managed to win two of his last three. Those were about a mile on the grass, but he has plenty of experience on the main track, too. While he has raced a lot, he is adequately rested here.

#12- Silent Murder (Mb Stables, ridden by L Dettori)- Picked up in the September auction for $20.220, Silent Murder has gone on to win two out of four while in the Mb silks. He has only raced in overnights so far, but looked good in winning at SA, with Dettori, at the beginning of the month at nine furlongs. Off of that, he certainly deserves his shot here to show he is yet another one of the trainer’s great weapons.

#13- Dominant (Wood Duck Stables, ridden by A Cedillo)- While Dominant has not lived up to his name yet in terms of victories, just one in six races, he always seems to run well. After breaking his maiden, he ran third in the $200.000 Brown then showed he can handle both running long and an off track by running fourth in the Grade 3 Lecomte. In each, he was only beaten by a length, so this is not one to be ruling out, even with the outside post.

#14- Crack The Party- Scratched

Prediction: 4-8-6-11

— NS

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