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Rebel Stakes
| Race Name |
Grade |
Track |
|
| Rebel Stakes |
2 |
Oaklawn Park |
 |
|
Rebel Stakes |
The Rebel Stakes is a Gr 2
American horse race contested in March each year at Oaklawn Park
Racetrack in Hot Springs, Arkansas over 1 1/16 miles on dirt. It's open
to three-year-old thoroughbreds which makes it an ideal prep race for
the Kentucky Derby. It currently offers a purse of $300,000.
As the second leg of the Oaklawn Park stakes program for
three-year-olds, the Rebel Stakes follows the $250,000 Southwest Stakes
(Gr 3) in February and precedes the $1,000,000 Arkansas Derby (Gr 2) in
April. This program regularly attracts the best three-year-olds from
Arkansas and beyond.
Inaugurated in 1961, the Rebel Stakes has yielded a number of talented
winners over the years, one of the most recent being champion
Kentucky-bred colt Curlin. Curlin won this race in 2007 and went on to
finish third behind race winner Street Sense and second place finisher
Hard Spun in that year's Kentucky Derby.
In November 2007, the American Graded Stakes Committee upgraded the
Rebels Stakes from a Gr 3 to a Gr 2 race. During its history, the race
was also run as a handicap and as such has two fastest times. In 1967
Betemight won it as a handicap in 1:40.80 and in 1984 Vanlandingham won
it as a stakes race in 1:41.00.
Three jockeys have each won the Rebels Stakes three times - Larry
Snyder, Pat Day and Mike Smith. With five victories to his name,
Robert E. Holthus has won the most Rebels Stakes races as a trainer. |
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Rebel Stakes - Past Winners |
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2004 Smarty Jones
2005 Greater Good
2006 Lawyer Ron
2007 Curlin
2008 Sierra Sunset
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