The Rebel (Grade 2)- $1,000.000 Purse
OP- For Three Year Olds
One Mile and One Sixteenth on the Dirt
March 13, 2021
The Rebel is the final 50 point KYD of the season. After this, we’re doubling the stakes and moving into the 100 point races, other than a few exceptions. There are six weeks left in the KYD chase, and some trainers have to be very happy with where they stand right now. Others are beginning to feel the pressure of this time of year as the chances become less and less. Last year, the Rebel was won by Class Edge and Chili King Stables after a pair of third place finishes in preps leading up to it. Class Edge went on to win BG Stakes a few weeks later, then placed second in the KYD. That’s a path that these horses would not mind following. Other past Rebel winners include Half Spirit, Quench, and Commanding. Let’s look at the contenders that are trying to add their name to the list in 2021!
#1- Angelino (Nakamura Stables, ridden by V R Carrasco)- After winning the CA Cup Derby in January, Angelino went on to finish third in the Risen Star, behind the two Mb Stables runners that finished in the dead heat. That result gave him ten points, but that is only good enough for 28th on the leaderboard right now, and the second ranked horse for the trainer. If he can follow up his Risen Star with a win, or even an in the money finish here, then he seems like one that belongs in the KYD field.
#2- Afterburner (Arindel, ridden by E Jaramillo)- Another one that comes out of the Risen Star, but he was not as fortunate, struggling to an 8th place finish. Prior trainer, Fractious, did not like what he saw, and sold the Remsen winner to Arindel for $500.000 five days later, and now he will make his debut in his new silks. For the moment, he positioned well on the KYD leaderboard with 24 points, placing him 9th, and the top option for his trainer.
#3- Gilgo Beach (D J C Racing Stables, ridden by F Geroux)- This gelding has won once in his eight starts thus far, but thanks to finishing second in the Grade 3 Holy Bull, he has six points. That’s a start to build on, and it’s time for Gilgo Beach to start doing that. He is 32nd, and the trainer does not currently have anyone in the top 20 right now. He has several who are close, though.
#4- Just Wanna Blaze (Gdp Inc, ridden by J Stein)- His dam, I Justwantthe Purple was excellent on the grass, and Just Wanna Blaze was beginning to follow in this footsteps, but that changed at the beginning of this year, when he was moved to the main track. He won an allowance at FG in his last start, and earned a 92 SRF for the effort. Has not run in any of the preps yet, so must make an impact here.
#5- Toothpaste (Night Rider Stables, ridden by J Lezcano)- Here is another horse that will be running in a prep for the first time. The Winter Warrior gelding comes off a win in the $100.000 Gander for NY-breds, where he flossed the field by going to wire to wire. That’s been a good racing style lately, so the trainer is hoping that Toothpaste will be able to step up and do similar here, and to get some KYD points.
#6- Extremo (Acber Farms, ridden by D Fukumoto)- This is a horse that has shown potential on the grass, running third in the Grade 1 Summer Stakes before finishing second in the BC Juvenile Turf. The LA Futurity was tried after that, and he was a decent fifth, but after, it was back to the grass, where he disappointed. The jury is still out on where Extremo goes from here, but if he did something big here, we’d get an answer.
#7- Booster (Estero Farms, ridden by A Beschizza)- Last month, this gelding finally was able to break his maiden now he gets turbo boosted right into the KYD preps. I can’t blame the trainer for trying at all, as that was an impressive victory that he scored at AQU, and his racing style might be in demand right now. Works are showing just enough progress, making him an interesting one to watch.
#8- Burning Red Hooves (TwinTowersRacing, ridden by A A Gallardo)- Won the Grade 3 Bashford Manor last June, helping him out in his cause to make the BC Juvenile. That did not go well, and in fact, he has not hit the board since. However, in the Remsen in December in fourth, and that gave him one KYD point. Hey, that’s more than the four horses starting to his inside have!
#9- Breath Of The Wild (Smokey Stover, ridden by J R Velazquz)- Like Burning Red Hooves, he has a single KYD point to his credit, and he earned that in January after finishing fourth in the Lecomte at FG. As a two year old, he was best when running in NY-bred stakes, and won the $150.000 Sleepy Hollow in October, but has not hit the board since then.
#10- Smokin Luka (Mb Stables, ridden by D Davis)- He was pulled out of a race last week, but will get his chance to run here in the Rebel. At the moment, he has 14 points, and that puts him 15th on the leaderboard, and the fourth ranked Mb Stables horse. Finished third in the BC Juvenile last fall, but is still looking for something exciting to talk about during his three year old season. He was a non-factor about six weeks ago in the Holy Bull.
#11- Test The Party Code (Mb Stables, ridden by T Gaffalione)- Picked up from Martyparty the day before Halloween, and there has been nothing scary about his finishes since then. Ran second in the KY Jockey Club, and then followed that up with consecutive third place finishes in the Sham, and then the Southwest. These results give him 8 points, and he is presently 31st on the KYD leaderboard.
#12- War Chant (Aer Stables, ridden by A Cedillo)- The trainer has several horses that he can be excited about right now, and War Chant added his name to that list after he placed second in the Grade 2 Southwest right here last month. He was entered into that race off of breaking his maiden, and it was only his third start, so there is still untapped potential here. The four points he earned for that performance puts him 38th on the board as of right now.
#13- Kinch (Whitewater Stables, ridden by Mario Gutierrez)- This Sgt Schultz colt will be making his fifth career start, and looking to run the way he did here in the Smarty Jones in January, where he was second. In that race, he was near or at the front most of the way, and he did it from a double digit starting post. That result got him four points, something that could be built on here.
#14- Stress Free- Scratched
#15- Freakin Out (Delta Farms, ridden by R Bejarano)- Getting in off the also-eligibles, this gelding has been able to find the winners circle in his career, doing so in three of five races. Those results were all in overnights, and since then he has been hoping for better at the stake level. Ran fourth last month in the El Camino, which gave him a point for the KYD chase.
Prediction: 1-2-11-10
— NS
Categories: Grade II, STAKES ARTICLES
