Rebel Stakes Day 2016: A Photo Essay

As a chilly breeze traveled through the air, the sun peeked through the clouds as it rose above the horizon to offer a sliver of warmth to the dozens of fans that dotted the track apron of Oaklawn Park on the morning of Saturday, March 19, 2016. Not only was it Dawn at Oaklawn – an event held on Saturday mornings for fans to enjoy and learn more about morning training – but it was Rebel Stakes Day.

One of the highlights of Oaklawn’s Racing Festival of the South, the Grade II Rebel Stakes has been an important stepping stone for a countless number of Triple Crown race winners – most notably American Pharoah, the hero that just last year ended the 37-year Triple Crown drought. With a $900,000 purse up for grabs this year, the Kentucky Derby prep race attracted a full field of fourteen – but it was not the only notable race of the day. Also on the card were the Grade II Azeri Stakes and the Grade III Razorback Handicap.

Fans who attended Dawn at Oaklawn may have caught a glimpse of Upstart, the morning line favorite for the Razorback. The handsome bay ridgling went for a light gallop over the Hot Springs, Arkansas track in the brisk morning air ahead of his 2016 debut later that afternoon.

As the morning clouds wore off and the sun ascended into the sky, fans poured into the Oaklawn grandstand, apron and infield – eventually reaching an estimated attendance of 35,000. Chilly wind gusts would occasionally make an unwelcome visit, but the sun shone over the crowd to make for a lovely afternoon.

The races carded prior to the stakes action added to the excitement of the day, building up the fans’ anticipation of what was to come later in the afternoon.

The Azeri marked not only the beginning of the day’s stakes races, but the 2016 debut of 2014 Champion Three-Year-Old Filly Untapable. The mare was never quite as brilliant last year as she was in her sophomore season, but she was sent off as the heavy favorite nonetheless.

However, it was Call Pat’s day to shine. Winner of Oaklawn’s Grade III Bayakoa Stakes last out, the six-year-old Lawyer Ron mare made her affinity for the Arkansas track clear as she outran Untapable, who was a game second over another hard-trying runner in Streamline.

Jockey Joe Rocco, Jr. was all smiles after his victory aboard Call Pat, a mare he knows well, having ridden her in all but two of her past eight starts.

Following the Azeri, it was time for the older males to take the stage in the Razorback. The aforementioned Upstart was favored to win his 2016 debut, and he certainly looked the part before the race.

Upstart lived up to the hype and his looks, making an eye-catching move on the far turn as he traveled wide to reach the vanguard. He moved powerfully down the center of the track to charge to a one-length win over Domain’s Rap.

Jockey Joe Bravo was Upstart’s jubilant winning rider, smiling for the cameras after his victorious ride.

There was a break in the stakes action between the Razorback and Rebel but after a starter optional claiming race, the electricity in the atmosphere escalated as the three-year-olds made their way from the backside to the grandstand for the day’s big event. Even Charles Cella, the owner of Oaklawn Park, stood trackside to watch the race.

The favorite in the full field was Suddenbreakingnews, who had finished with a rush to be an impressive winner of the Grade III Southwest Stakes last out.

But it was Cupid who stole the show. Shipping in from Southern California off a 5 ¼-length maiden score at Santa Anita, the dappled gray colt would become Bob Baffert’s sixth Rebel winner in seven years. He certainly looked like a winner before the race, even stopping to strike a pose during the walkover.

One of the more notable aspects of this year's running of the Rebel was that six of the fourteen horses in the field were gray, which made for a colorful group of horses.

Cupid did not break on top, but grabbed the lead by the first turn and didn’t look back. His lead widened around the far turn and although he was erratic at the top of the lane, he dug in to repel the late-running Whitmore. That rival nearly drew even with Cupid in the final furlong, but Cupid dug in under Martin Garcia to take the Rebel by 1 ¼ lengths.

The following morning, Cupid peered out of his stall on the Oaklawn backside before leaving to return to California. What the remainder of the Derby trail holds for the son of Tapit is a mystery to be unraveled by time, but one thing is certain: Bob Baffert knows how to win the Rebel.