A-listers everywhere make Rebel a ‘must-see’
A horse with an ownership list lengthy as that of a law firm hopes to hang up a shingle worthy of the 149th Kentucky Derby.
In the case of trainer Brad Cox, the line forms to the right. Entering Giant Mischief and Verifying, a copious personal list of Derby contenders could expand or contract after the Rebel Stakes today at Oaklawn. The Grade 2 $1 million race, 11th of 12 on the card, is set for 5:23 p.m.
Giant Mischief makes his 3-year-old debut after a second in the Springboard Mile in December at Remington Park. Multiple Eclipse Award winner Irad Ortiz Jr., a 21% winner for Cox over the last six years, rides from post five for owners including central Arkansas automobile dealer and Arkansas Racing Commission member Steve Landers.
Both Cox entrants were to the manor born, Giant Mischief sired by Into Mischief (half-brother to supermare Beholder) and Verifying by Triple Crown winner Justify, he a half-brother to champion racemare and local Grade 1 winner Midnight Bisou. In Florent Geroux, long identified as Cox’ go-to man, Giant Mischief gets choice handling.
Verifying, the Grade 1 Champagne runner-up to champion juvenile Forte, to whom the Cox trainee later placed sixth in the G1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, submitted a signature performance Jan. 14 at Oaklawn. He put away five rivals, including two next-out winners, and impressed speed handicappers. Geroux rides the colt for the first time, drawing the rail post and an early 2-1 nod against 10 3-year-olds.
“He’s been extremely talented in the afternoons and I think is starting to get better with age both physically and mentally,” Geroux said. “He wasn’t quite there mentally at first but that’s starting to come around.”
Co-owner Susan Magnier’s name seldom appears in an Oaklawn program but any self-respecting racing fan may know that she is the daughter of legendary Irish trainer Vincent O’Brien and that husband John is the managing partner of Irish-based breeding operation Coolmore Stud. Magnier, Derrick Smith and Michael Tabor have raced nine Breeders’ Cup 1 winners and several American Grade 1 winners. If additional credit references are needed to Verifying’s people, Georg van Opel is a German-born Swiss billionaire and heir, great-grandson of the German car manufacturer who founded the Opel AG.
All have eyes on Hot Springs in a race that, according to early forecasts, may be run over a wet track. One worth 50 Derby qualifying points to a Derby-eligible winner
and a traditional stepping stone to major races, the Arkansas Derby locally (April 1) and the Triple Crown series (the Kentucky Derby is May 6 at Churchill Downs in Louisville).
“The Kentucky Derby is why we do what we do every day,” Cox said. “It’s the biggest race for any of us (trainers) to win and it’s the goal I have every year.”
Unlike some of the owners, the Rebel trainers are quite well known and lend the race credibility. Cox says little but is fashioning a Hall of Fame-worthy career with more top horses than one can count, a Derby (Mandalou through a DQ in 2021), a Belmont Stakes and a Breeders’ Cup Classic on his portfolio.
Barred from racing at Churchill Downs, Bob Baffert entrusted TC hopeful Reincarnate with West Coast-based trainer Tim Yakteen. The Grade 3 Sham winner at Santa Anita, Reincarnate posted a higher speed rating than Verifying at Oaklawn. Hall of Fame rider John Velazquez rides the son of Kentucky Derby winner Good Magic, drawing post six and installed at 7-2 odds.
Keith Desormeaux is here with Confidence Game (James Graham, 15-1) as is another WestCoast based trainer Paulo Lobo (Geraldo Corrales, 30-1) with Event Detail, both with major Oaklawn stakes victories. Rodolphe Brisset, after sending out reigning Grade 3 Fantasy winner in the Carousel Stakes, gives Flavien Prat a leg up on 30-1 choice Talladega for the Rebel.
Locally, Wayne Lukas and Ken McPeek have recent Oaklawn stakes victories, though both Bourbon Bash (Mickelle Michel) and Frosted Departure (Francisco Arrieta) are 20-1 on the morning line.
And if anyone asks what else can be said about Steve Asmussen, there’s that 0-for-24 Kentucky Derby record for starters. The only man with 10,000 training victories (as of Monday) entered Powerful, meet winner Gun Pilot and Red Route One in the Rebel with Isaac Castillo, Ricardo Santana Jr. and meet leader Cristian Torres named aboard, respectively.
In the end, as so often happens lately, it might come down to Cox, whose Oaklawn-raced Angel of Empire won the recent Grade 2 Derby prep at Fair Grounds, from whence came 2022 Arkansas Derby winner Cyberknife. Which raises a question; how many horses will he walk over to the paddock for Derby 149, the biggest race anywhere, especially in Louisville, his hometown?
About Giant Mischief, he said, “We gave him a little bit of time after the Springboard mile to get him ready for the Rebel. It was a planned break. We’re hoping he shows us enough that we’re able to take a look at Grade 1 on the Derby trail.”
It’s Rebel Saturday at Oaklawn, the race that in 2007 unveiled Curlin to the racing industry and solidified, in 2015, that champion American Pharoah was of genuine quality. Lesser races at the meet generally draw huge crowds, so be there well before the noon first post to a 12-race card.