Old Fashioned Takes on Familiar Faces in Rebel Stakes
by Patricia Woo | Mar 9 2009
Kentucky Derby favorite Old Fashioned will meet several familiar foes at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark., on Saturday, Mar. 14 for our race of the week, the $300,000 Gr. 2 Rebel Stakes. The Rebel Stakes is a significant
Kentucky Derby prep race and will feature 3-year-olds traveling 8 1/2 furlongs on a conventional dirt track. Among the top contenders scheduled to line up with Old Fashioned include Silver City, Flat Out and Poltergeist.
At the top of many horse bettors’ top Kentucky Derby prospects is Old Fashioned, a 3-year-old son of Unbridled’s Song, who will be looking to extend his win streak to five races. He kicked off his 2009 campaign with a solid performance in the $250,000 Gr. 3 Southwest Stakes on Feb. 16, and has continued to impress in workouts like the bullet he posted at
Oaklawn Park – 5 furlongs in 59 seconds – on Sunday, Mar. 8. Trained by Larry Jones, Old Fashioned will be ridden by Ramon Dominguez in Saturday’s race. The pairing has been brilliant so far, combining for both of Old Fashioned’s graded stakes wins (including the $200,000 Gr. 2 Remsen Stakes last November).
Victory will not be a given for Old Fashioned, however, as he will have to face Southwest Stakes runner-up Silver City. Silver City firmly staked a claim on many Derby contenders lists when he nearly upset the eventual winner, setting swift fractions and leaving the rest of the field behind. Also a son of Unbridled’s Song, Silver City is trained by Bret Calhoun for owner Clarence Scharbauer, Jr., and has had a promising 3-year-old campaign so far. He kicked off his year with a convincing win in the $50,000 Dixieland Stakes on Jan. 1 and will be looking to avenge his Southwest Stakes loss with another strong showing on Saturday.
Flat Out had to settle for fourth in the Southwest Stakes after breaking awkwardly from the gate and falling behind the field. But he showed immense capability during his rally, making up tremendous ground and nearly catching the eventual show horse. With a clean start, Flat Out should prove to be a threat to Old Fashioned. This Flatter colt has had previous success at Oaklawn before – prior to his defeat in the Southwest Stakes, he reigned supreme in the Smarty Jones Stakes on Jan. 19 with an easy win. This Florida-bred 3-year-old is trained by Charles “Scooter” Dickey.
One final contender of note is the well-regarded but still underachieving Poltergeist. Trainer Donnie K. Von Hemel saw potential in this son of Tapit when he won an allowance race in impressive fashion at Oaklawn Park on Jan. 17. But in the Southwest Stakes, Poltergeist failed to follow through on a strong start and finished seventh. The Texas-bred 3-year-old will get another chance at graded stakes money on Saturday.
The 2007 winner of the Rebel Stakes was none other than Horse of the Year Curlin. Who will be this year’s Rebel Stakes champion?
Bet on horse racing at the Bodog Racebook!
