Study Guide: 2025 Rebel Stakes

Feb 18, 2025 J. Keeler Johnson/TwinSpires.com

Coal Battle (left) descends upon Speed King in the Springboard Mile (Photo by Dustin Orona Photography/Remington Park)

A strong 14-horse field has entered Saturday’s $1.25 million Rebel (G2) at Oaklawn Park.

Eight of the entrants have already earned points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby. They’ll seek many more points in the Rebel, a 1 1/16-mile Kentucky Derby (G1) qualifier worth 50-25-15-10-5 points to the top five finishers.

Let’s take a tour through the entries:

Coal Battle

Coal Battle wins the Jean Lafitte at Delta Downs (Photo by Hodges Photography/ Paula Tindall and Landen Carrier)

Start(s): 6
Wins: 4
Place: 0
Show: 0

Owner: Norman Stables
Breeder: Hume Wornall and Jay Adcock
Trainer: Lonnie Briley
Jockey: Juan Vargas

Top Speed Rating: (92) when winning the Remington Springboard Mile S. at Remington Park.
Total Earnings: $453,875

Sire: Coal Front
Dam: Wolfblade
Color: Dark bay/brown

Coal Battle has won twice on the Road to the Kentucky Derby, rallying to win the Remington Springboard Mile S. before taking the Smarty Jones S. in gate-to-wire fashion. But it’s worth noting he received favorable pace setups in both races.

Admiral Dennis

Admiral Dennis impressed in his Churchill Downs maiden victory (Photo by Coady Media)

Start(s): 4
Wins: 2
Place: 0
Show: 1

Owner: Albaugh Family Stables
Breeder: WinStar Farm
Trainer: Brad Cox
Jockey: Florent Geroux

Top Speed Rating: (91) when winning a Churchill Downs maiden special weight.
Total Earnings: $119,800

Sire: Constitution
Dam: Gulf Coast
Color: Chestnut

Admiral Dennis has won two of his last three starts against easier competition, but he faltered to fourth place when making his Road to the Kentucky Derby debut in the Gun Runner S. The Rebel is shaping up as his toughest test yet.

Sandman

Sandman wins at Saratoga (Photo by Coglianese Photos / Credit Chelsea Durrand)

Start(s): 6
Wins: 2
Place: 1
Show: 1

Owner: D. J. Stable, St. Elias Stable, West Point Thoroughbreds, and CJ Stables
Breeder: Lothenbach Stables
Trainer: Mark Casse
Jockey: Cristian Torres

Top Speed Rating: (91) when finishing second in the Southwest (G3) at Oaklawn.
Total Earnings: $344,595

Sire: Tapit
Dam: Distorted Music
Color: Gray/roan

Sandman got off to a poor start in the Southwest (G3) before rallying strongly to finish second by one length. With a clean break in the Rebel, Sandman can challenge for victory.

Hypnus

Start(s): 1
Wins: 1
Place: 0
Show: 0

Owner: Brookdale Racing
Breeder: Phoenix Thoroughbreds (III)
Trainer: Kenny McPeek
Jockey: Brian Hernandez Jr.

Top Speed Rating: (92) when winning a Fair Grounds maiden special weight.
Total Earnings: $36,000

Sire: Into Mischief
Dam: Dream Tree
Color: Bay

Hypnus rallied sharply to win his debut racing 1 1/16 miles at Fair Grounds by 2 1/2 lengths, earning a 92 Brisnet Speed rating. When Kenny McPeek trainees win their first time out, it’s often a sign of serious talent. There’s a good chance Hypnus will run even better while making his second start in the Rebel. Don’t count him out of win contention.

Madaket Road

Start(s): 3
Wins: 1
Place: 1
Show: 1

Owner: SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Dianne Bashor, Determined Stables, Robert E. Masterson, Tom J. Ryan, Waves Edge Capital, and Catherine Donovan
Breeder: SF Bloodstock
Trainer: Bob Baffert
Jockey: Irad Ortiz Jr.

Top Speed Rating: (94) when winning a Santa Anita maiden special weight.
Total Earnings: $80,000

Sire: Quality Road
Dam: Frolic’s Dream
Color: Gray/roan

Trainer Bob Baffert has won the Rebel eight times, and he may pick up a ninth with Madaket Road. The gray colt exits a respectable third-place finish against champion Citizen Bull in the Robert B. Lewis (G3) and is picking up five-time Eclipse Award-winning jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. for the Rebel.

Publisher

Start(s): 5
Wins: 0
Place: 1
Show: 3

Owner: Gus King and Estate of Brereton C. Jones
Breeder: Brereton C. Jones
Trainer: Steve Asmussen
Jockey: Flavien Prat

Top Speed Rating: (91) when finishing second in an Oaklawn Park maiden special weight.
Total Earnings: $77,756

Sire: American Pharoah
Dam: Indian Pride
Color: Bay

Publisher made his Road to the Kentucky Derby debut in the Southwest, crossing the wire seventh before getting upgraded to sixth place via a disqualification. He’ll need improvement to turn the tables on Southwest 1-2-3 finishers Speed King, Sandman, and Tiztastic.

Dreaminblue

Dreaminblue wins at Oaklawn Park. (Photo by Coady Media)

Start(s): 4
Wins: 1
Place: 1
Show: 0

Owner: Randy Patterson, Sam M. Vogel, and Joe Morgan
Breeder: Charles Kidder, Ralph Kinder, and Erv Woolsey
Trainer: Randy Morse
Jockey: Francisco Arrieta

Top Speed Rating: (96) when winning an Oaklawn Park maiden special weight.
Total Earnings: $99,500

Sire: Street Boss
Dam: Dreamy Blues
Color: Chestnut

Dreaminblue earned a strong 96 Brisnet Speed rating when taking a six-furlong maiden special weight at Oaklawn by 3 1/2 lengths. But he was beaten to fourth place in his only previous route race, so stretching out over 1 1/16 miles is a question mark.

Innovator

Innovator wins at Oaklawn Park. (Photo by Coady Medi)

Start(s): 8
Wins: 1
Place: 4
Show: 1

Owner: BC Stables
Breeder: Peter E. Blum Thoroughbreds
Trainer: D. Wayne Lukas
Jockey: Tyler Bacon

Top Speed Rating: (89) when finishing second in a Saratoga maiden special weight.
Total Earnings: $197,555

Sire: Authentic
Dam: Inspired
Color: Dark bay/brown

Innovator held a daylight lead for most of last month’s Lecomte (G3) before weakening late to finish third by three-quarters of a length. The stoutly bred son of Kentucky Derby winner Authentic has drawn inside the other key speed horses in the Rebel and figures to be a dangerous presence on the front end.

Smoken Wicked

Smoken Wicked wins at Fair Grounds. (Photo courtesy of Fair Grounds)

Start(s): 8
Wins: 4
Place: 1
Show: 1

Owner: Valene Farms
Breeder: Tom Curtis and Wayne Simpson
Trainer: Dallas Stewart
Jockey: Tyler Gaffalione

Top Speed Rating: (98) when winning the Louisiana Futurity at Fair Grounds.
Total Earnings: $307,542

Sire: Bobby’s Wicked One
Dam: Street Smoke
Color: Chestnut

Smoken Wicked has dominated his last three sprint starts, including a couple of stakes for Louisiana-breds. But when he tried a route distance in the one-mile Champagne (G1) on the Road to the Kentucky Derby last fall, he faded to finish fourth. It’s possible the 1 1/16-mile distance of the Rebel will prove too far for Smoken Wicked.

Bullard

Bullard (Photo by Benoit Photo)

Start(s): 3
Wins: 2
Place: 0
Show: 1

Owner: St. Elias Stable, Talla Racing, Three Chimneys Farm, and West Point Thoroughbreds
Breeder: Three Chimneys Farm
Trainer: Michael McCarthy
Jockey: Umberto Rispoli

Top Speed Rating: (99) when winning the Bob Hope (G3) at Del Mar.
Total Earnings: $129,000

Sire: Gun Runner
Dam: Reve d’Amour
Color: Dark bay/brown

Bullard capitalized on a blazing pace to rally and win the seven-furlong Bob Hope (G3) by 4 3/4 lengths over Madaket Road, earning a 99 Brisnet Speed rating that tops the Rebel field. But he regressed to an 86 when finishing third against a modest pace in the seven-furlong San Vicente (G2). We’ll find out in the Rebel whether Bullard is a stretch-running sprinter who needs a fast pace, or if stretching out over 1 1/16 miles will give him more time to catch up.

Speed King

Speed King wins at Churchill Downs. (Photo by Coady Media)

Start(s): 3
Wins: 2
Place: 1
Show: 0

Owner: Triton Thoroughbreds, Naber Racing, Bryan Hennigan, Doug Rapier, and Ron Micetic
Breeder: Nancy C. Shuford
Trainer: Ron Moquett
Jockey: Rafael Bejarano

Top Speed Rating: (92) when winning the Southwest (G3) at Oaklawn.
Total Earnings: $669,000

Sire: Volatile
Dam: Athenian Beauty
Color: Gray/roan

Speed King has set the pace in all three of his starts. He lost the Remington Springboard Mile by half a length to Coal Battle but bounced back to wire the Southwest over Sandman and Tiztastic. Speed King figures to face pace pressure from Innovator and Smoken Wicked, but he may be talented enough to handle the challenge.

Brereton’s Baytown

Start(s): 9
Wins: 2
Place: 0
Show: 0

Owner: Baytown Partnerships and Trawitzki Thoroughbreds
Breeder: Ehris Stables
Trainer: Paul McEntee
Jockey: Joseph Bealmear

Top Speed Rating: (88) when winning a $40,000 claimer at Laurel Park.
Total Earnings: $54,523

Sire: Upstart
Dam: Kika
Color: Bay

Brereton’s Baytown recently rallied from out of the clouds to win a $40,000 claimer at Laurel Park. He’s progressing in the right direction but needs to improve upon his career-best 88 Brisnet Speed rating.

Tiztastic

Tiztastic wins at Kentucky Downs. (Photo by Coady Media)

Start(s): 6
Wins: 2
Place: 1
Show: 2

Owner: Winchell Thoroughbreds, Mrs. John Magnier, Michael B. Tabor, and Derrick Smith
Breeder: Capital Bloodstock
Trainer: Steve Asmussen
Jockey: Jose Ortiz

Top Speed Rating: (90) when finishing third in the Southwest (G3) at Oaklawn.
Total Earnings: $909,800

Sire: Tiz the Law
Dam: Keesha
Color: Dark bay/brown

Tiztastic has shown consistency on the Road to the Kentucky Derby, finishing second in the Street Sense (G3), third in the Kentucky Jockey Club (G2), and third in the Southwest. But his form seems to have plateaued, and he’ll need better to vie for first place in the Rebel.

Hot Gunner

Start(s): 8
Wins: 2
Place: 0
Show: 2

Owner: 7 Cedars Farm
Breeder: Erv Woolsey and Ralph Kinder
Trainer: Scott Young
Jockey: Harry Hernandez

Top Speed Rating: (80) when winning a Sam Houston allowance.
Total Earnings: $80,900

Sire: Exaggerator
Dam: You Flatter Me
Color: Dark bay/brown

Hot Gunner rallied to win a one-mile allowance at Sam Houston last month, but the 80 Brisnet Speed rating he received looks a little light against the Rebel field.