Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Baffert continues Rebel dominance
HOT SPRINGS — Bob Baffert’s Rebel Day parade continues.
Concert Tour won the Grade II, $1 million Rebel Stakes for 3-year-old horses in 1:43.18 before an estimated crowd of 5,500 at Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort on Saturday.
Concert Tour is the eighth horse from Baffert’s Southern California barn to win the 1 1/16-mile Rebel, the most for any trainer.
Ridden by Joel Rosario, Concert Tour earned 50 Kentucky Derby qualifying points and is virtually assured one of the 20 stalls in the Derby starting gate. The
Kentucky Derby is scheduled for May 1 at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky.
Concert Tour, off as the 8-5 second choice, led throughout and pulled away to win by 4 1 /2 lengths over 18-1 Hozier, who is also trained by Baffert. Big Lake, who also went off at 18-1, finished third, 3 /4 lengths behind Hozier and 11/2 lengths in front of 40-1 shot Super Stock in fourth, the only Rebel entrant who had not won his last previous start.
The race was Concert Tour’s first race beyond 7 furlongs.
The 6-5 favorite Caddo River, winner of Oaklawn’s Smarty Jones Stakes on Jan. 22, ran in second until the homestretch but faded to fifth.
“That was nice, impressive,” Baffert said. “I’m just happy to run 1-2. That’s pretty huge. I just told Rosario he’s fast. I know Caddo River’s fast. This horse going two turns first out, just play the break and do what you think is right.”
Keepmeinmind, a late-running specialist trained by Robertino Diodoro and ridden by David Cohen, ran wide around the final turn and appeared ready to gain on the leaders, but he finished sixth in the field of eight
The second through fourth finishers earned 20, 10 and 5 Kentucky Derby qualifying points, respectively.
Concert Tour passed the opening quarter in 23.42, the half in 47.53, and three-quarters in 1:12.00.
“It was a very good race,” Rosario said. “He broke very good, and I just let him go on with it. It was impressive for his first time going two turns.”
“He’s a very, very fast horse,” Baffert said. “He looked like he was doing it pretty easily, though. They slowed up a little bit down the backside. Joel, you could really tell he was controlling the race. This is a really top horse. I was going to be disappointed if he didn’t do what he did today.”
Big Lake is from the barn of trainer Steve Asmussen, a member of the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame who obviously knows what’s what when it comes to quality horses.
“The winner was ultra-impressive,” Asmussen said. “I thought Big Lake had a good trip. Wish he would have avoided the bumping in the stretch, but the winner was clear-cut.”
Concert Tour and Caddo River had won their previous two starts.
Concert Tour had only raced twice but started the Rebel with wins against maidens in a 6-furlong attempt at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif., on Jan. 15, and at 2-5 in the Grade II 7-furlong San Vicente Stakes, also at Santa Anita, on Feb. 6.
Caddo River broke his maiden at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., on Nov. 15, and won Oaklawn’s 1-mile Smarty Jones Stakes by a record 101/4 lengths on the racetrack’s opening day, Jan. 22.
Keepmeinmind had started as a maiden two-year-old through three graded-stakes races last season. He finished second in the Grade I Breeders’ Futurity and the Grade I Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, both run at Keeneland Racecourse in Lexington, Ky., on Oct. 3, and Nov. 6, respectively. He won his first race in the Grade II Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes at Churchill Downs on Nov. 28.
Four other stakes races were held at Oaklawn on Saturday, including the Grade III, $350,000 Azeri Stakes.
The 2020 Kentucky Oaks champion Shedaresthedevil, ridden by Florent Geroux and trained by Brad Cox, won the Azeri by a head over second-place Letruska in 1:42.73. Getridofwhatailesu finished third in the five-horse race. Envoutante was fourth, a head further back.
Letruska seemed to have front-running Shedaresthedevil measured with an eighth of a mile to go, but the winner would not let her by.
“She really dug in,” Cox said. “She really dug in. Glad to have her back.”
Shedaresthedevil had not raced for more than five months.
“She maybe got a little bit tired down the lane, but it was good for her first race off the break,” Geroux said.
Silver Slate, trained by Asmussen and ridden by Ricardo Santana, won the $500,000 Essex Handicap in 1:42.73, a neck in front of second-place Rated R Superstar. Night Ops finished third, 13/4 lengths behind the winner and 21/2 lengths in front of Harpers First Ride in fourth.
“This was a very quality win today,” Asmussen said.