Talk about a major detour on the Kentucky Derby trail.
Game Winner, who is No. 1 on my Kentucky Derby Top 10, and Improbable, ranked No. 2, were supposed to have clashed in the Grade II San Felipe Stakes at Santa Anita Park on March 9.
However, Santa Anita on March 5 announced that it had pulled the plug on racing indefinitely as a result of a spike in equine fatalities since the meeting had commenced on Dec. 26. Consequently, Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, who trains both Game Winner and Improbable, suddenly had to come up with a Plan B for the two highly ranked colts.
Baffert’s Plan B actually became Plan R, meaning the Rebel, as in Rebel Stakes.
Game Winner and Improbable have been rerouted from the canceled San Felipe to this Saturday’s Grade II Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn Park. The 1 1/16-mile race was split into two divisions after attracting 19 entries.
Even before the Rebel is run, it will make history. It is the first time in the history of racing in the entire world that an event with an original purse of $1 million or more will be run in two divisions.
Before being split, the Rebel offered 85 qualifying points (50-20-10-50) for the May 4 Kentucky Derby. Now each division has a purse of $750,000 and 63.75 qualifying points (37.5 for first, 15 for second, 7.5 for third and 3.75 for fourth). The revised qualifying points represent 75% of the original purse.
Whereas Game Winner and Improbable would have had to face each other in the San Felipe, that will not be the case in the Rebel. Baffert is happy about that inasmuch as he would just as soon not have Game Winner and Improbable meet until the Kentucky Derby.
Grade I winner Improbable heads the first division of the Rebel, which has a field of nine. Eclipse Award winner Game Winner gets top billing among the 10 entered in the second division.
Oaklawn and Los Alamitos both deserve kudos for stepping up to help out after Santa Anita temporarily halted racing.
When six Rebel candidates stabled at Santa Anita — Extra Hope, Galilean, Game Winner, Gunmetal Gray, Improbable and Omaha Beach — all were in need of a final workout before the Rebel, they were unable to do so at Santa Anita. But in a classy gesture, Los Alamitos welcomed the six horses with open arms. Thus, all six had their final pre-Rebel drill at Los Al, as listed below:
Extra Hope (six furlongs in 1:12.00 on March 9)
Galilean (four furlongs in :48.40 on March 11)
Game Winner (five furlongs in :59.80 on March 10)
Gunmetal Gray (six furlongs in 1:12.60 on March 9)
Improbable (five furlongs in :59.20 on March 10)
Omaha Beach (six furlongs in 1:10.60 on March 9)
Oaklawn announced last week that the Rebel would be split if it drew 20 or more entries.
“Oaklawn stands ready to help horsemen around the country,” Louis Cella, the track’s president, said in a press release. “From a financial standpoint, splitting the race makes no sense whatsoever. If we split it, it will be strictly on the basis of sportsmanship and what is best for the sport and best for the top 3-year-olds trying to get to the Kentucky Derby.”
When the Rebel drew 19 entries, Cella could have stuck to his guns and saved a whole lot of money by not splitting the race. But in a classy gesture a la Los Al fulfilling the need for workouts, Oaklawn went ahead and split the Rebel even though there were fewer than 20 entries.
MY REBEL STAKES ODDS
First Division
2-5 Improbable
4-1 Galilean
10-1 Extra Hope
10-1 Long Range Toddy
15-1 Classy John
20-1 Easy Shot
30-1 Corruze
30-1 Ninth Street
50-1 Proud Nation
Second Division
4-5 Game Winner
5-1 Omaha Beach
6-1 Gunmetal Gray
6-1 Our Braintrust
12-1 Laughing Fox
15-1 Jersey Agenda
20-1 Captain Von Trapp
20-1 Market King
30-1 Kaziranga
30-1 Parsimony
REBEL STAKES SELECTIONS
First Division: 1. Improbable, 2. Galilean, 3. Extra Hope, 4. Long Range Toddy
Second Division: 1. Omaha Beach, 2. Game Winner, 3. Our Braintrust, Gunmetal Gray
MY CURRENT KENTUCKY DERBY TOP 10
- Game Winner
- Improbable
- War of Will
- Code of Honor
- Mucho Gusto
- Bourbon War
- Roadster
- Omaha Beach
- Galilean
- Instagrand
Instagrand had been No. 4 last week. I moved him down to No. 10 this week after he finished third in Aqueduct’s Grade III Gotham Stakes at one mile last Saturday. He stayed on the Top 10, albeit just barely, because he lost the Gotham by only 1 1/2 lengths while making his first start since last Aug. 11. It also was Instagrand’s first race beyond six furlongs. He could conceivably get knocked off the Top 10 next week depending on what happens in the Rebel.
THE NEXT 40 ON MY KENTUCKY DERBY RANKINGS
- Hidden Scroll
- Anothertwistafate
- Vekoma
- Tacitus
- Country House
- Haikal
- Mind Control
- Dessman
- Signalman
- Maximum Security
- Nolo Contesto
- Spinoff
- Win Win Win
- Harvey Wallbanger
- Gunmetal Gray
- Tax
- Outshine
- Sueno
- Much Better
- Dream Maker
- Intrepid Heart
- Long Range Toddy
- Limonite
- U S Navy Cross
- Somelikeithotbrown
- Alwaysmining
- Standard Deviation
- Rowayton
- Kingly
- Mihos
- Roiland
- Extra Hope
- Well Defined
- Gray Attempt
- Our Braintrust
- Laughing Fox
- Final Jeopardy
- So Alive
- Hoffa’s Union
- Sir Winston
GAME WINNER & IMPROBABLE EACH 6-1 IN FUTURE WAGER
The “All Others” option ended up being the favorite when betting concluded last Sunday in Pool Three of the 2019 Kentucky Derby Future Wager (KDFW). “All Others” closed at 9-2.
In terms of individual horses, Game Winner and Improbable sported the lowest odds, each at 6-1. Slightly more money was wagered on Improbable, whose total of $33,220 was just $575 more than the sum bet on Game Winner.
In Pool One, which closed on Nov. 25, “All Other 3-Year-Old Males” was the 6-5 favorite, with Game Winner the individual favorite at 5-2. Coliseum and Instagrand were each 10-1. Improbable was 17-1.
In Pool Two, which closed on Feb. 10, “All Others” was the 5-2 favorite, with Game Winner the individual favorite at 5-1. Hidden Scroll and Improbable were 7-1 each. Instagrand was 10-1. War of Will was 17-1.
Here were the final odds for Pool Three of the KDFW:
9-2 All Others
6-1 Game Winner
6-1 Improbable*
11-1 Hidden Scroll
12-1 Bourbon War
12-1 War of Will
14-1 Code of Honor
16-1 Roadster
17-1 Instagrand
22-1 Galilean
27-1 Mucho Gusto
29-1 Country House
33-1 Harvey Wallbanger
34-1 Win Win Win
36-1 Spinoff
37-1 Vekoma
38-1 Anothertwistafate
38-1 Signalman
43-1 Gunmetal Gray
55-1 Mind Control
56-1 Dream Maker
59-1 Tax
63-1 Intrepid Heat
216-1 Well Defined
*Actual individual favorite
BELLAFINA FAVORED IN KENTUCKY OAKS WAGER
The Kentucky Oaks Future Wager also closed last Sunday. Bellafina, winner of Santa Anita’s Grade II Santa Ynez Stakes and Grade II Las Virgenes Stakes this year, was backed down to 9-2 favoritism. The “All Others” option closed at 5-1.
This will be the only 2019 Kentucky Oaks Future Wager offered.
Here were the final odds:
9-2 Bellafina
5-1 All Others
7-1 Jaywalk
10-1 Chasing Yesterday
11-1 Point of Honor
11-1 Serengeti Empress
12-1 Enaya Alrabb
14-1 Restless Rider
18-1 Dunbar Road
22-1 Feedback
23-1 Motion Emotion
24-1 Brill
30-1 Mother Mother
42-1 Orra Moor
49-1 Queen of Beas
50-1 Champagne Anyone
56-1 Violencia
60-1 Jeltrin
63-1 Liora
81-1 Eres Tu
81-1 Graceful Princess
96-1 Power Gal
113-1 Marathon Queen
137-1 Tasting the Stars
For those who bet on “All Others,” I think one of those, Godolphin’s Divine Image, will have an excellent chance to win if she shows up for the Kentucky Oaks.
Trained by Charlie Appleby, Divine Image appears to be under serious consideration for the May 3 race at Churchill Downs following her scintillating 7 1/4-length victory against males in the Al Bastakiya Stakes last Saturday at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai. She won the Group III UAE Oaks to earn 50 qualifying points for the Kentucky Oaks.
Divine Image is by Scat Daddy, the sire of 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify.
MILK CARTON HORSE UPDATE
I still have not seen any news regarding Uncle Benny, who hasn’t raced since he finished second in the Grade I Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf at Churchill Downs last Nov. 2. He has not had a recorded workout since his three furlongs in :39.80 at Palm Meadows in Florida on Jan. 19.
Has Uncle Benny gone into an equine witness protection program?
THIS WEEK’S NTRA POLLS
Here is the Top 10 for this week’s NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll:
Rank Points Horse (First-Place Votes)
- 339 City of Light (33)
- 326 Monomoy Girl (9)
- 315 Roy H
- 256 Bricks and Mortar (2)
- 198 McKinzie
- 152 Seeking the Soul
- 129 Sistercharlie
- 111 Accelerate
- 78 Battle of Midway
- 77 Marley’s Freedom
Here is the Top 10 for this week’s NTRA Top 3-Year-Old Poll:
Rank Points Horse (First-Place Votes)
- 396 Game Winner (31)
- 362 War of Will (7)
- 315 Improbable (5)
- 295 Code of Honor
- 228 Mucho Gusto
- 150 Tacitus
- 113 Bourbon War
- 88 Haikal
- 60 Country House
- 57 Gunmetal Gray
