BAFFERT FAVORED TO WIN SEVENTH REBEL WITH SOLOMINI

By Jennifer Hoyt —-

Solomini; Coady Photography

HOT SPRINGS, AR (Friday, March 16, 2018) – Another year, another favorite for Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert in a major 3-year-old race at Oaklawn.

This time, it’s Solomini, who is scheduled to make his 2018 debut in the $900,000 Grade 2 event that is final major local steppingstone for the $1 million Arkansas Derby (G1) April 14.

The 1 1/16-mile Rebel caps a 10-race program that begins at 1:05 p.m. (Central). Doors open Saturday at 11 a.m., with probable post time for the Rebel 6:09 p.m.

Weather permitting, the infield will be open for the first time this season Saturday. Partly cloudy skies and temperatures approaching 80 degrees are expected, according to weather.com.

The Rebel will award 85 points to the top four finishers (50-20-10-5) toward starting eligibility for the Kentucky Derby.

Solomini, one of 11 horses entered, is the 3-2 program favorite for Baffert, who has won the Rebel a record six times – all since 2010 – and has 13 victories in Kentucky Derby preps at Oaklawn, the last coming with the ill-fated Mourinho in the $150,000 Smarty Jones Stakes Jan. 15.

“He’s been doing really well,” Baffert said. “Glad to get him back. He’s been training really well, so we’re just hoping for a good run.”

A chestnut son of 2007 Rebel and Arkansas Derby winner Curlin, Solomini will be making his first start since being disqualified from a victory in the $300,000 Los Alamitos Futurity (G1) Dec. 9 at Los Alamitos for interference in the stretch. He also finished second in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) Nov. 4 at Del Mar and second in the $300,000 FrontRunner Stakes (G1) Sept. 30 at Santa Anita

Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner Good Magic won an Eclipse Award for champion 2-year-old male. FrontRunner winner Bolt d’Oro was a close second in the voting.

The Southern California-based Solomini has recorded two consecutive bullet workouts at Santa Anita in advance of the Rebel, including a 5-furlong move in :59 last Saturday.

One of Baffert’s six Rebel victories came in 2015 with American Pharoah, who would capture the Triple Crown.

“They’re all different,” Baffert said. “It’s hard to really compare any of them. (Solomini) is not going to wow you in the mornings, watching him train. But he shows up in the afternoons. He just likes to gut it out. He has a big heart. Everything I’ve brought up there is different.”

Solomini races Zayat Stables, LLC (Ahmed Zayat) and the Coolmore partners of Susan Magnier, Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith, who purchased an interest in the colt following the Los Alamitos Futurity.

The Rebel brings back Combatant, Sporting Chance and Zing Zang, 2-3-5, respectively, in the $500,000 Southwest Stakes (G3) Feb. 19, and will feature the stakes debuts of unbeaten Magnum Moon (2 for 2); the intriguing Higher Power (perfect in two career starts around two turns); and unbeaten Curlin’s Honor (2 for 2), who will be making his two-turn debut.

The Rebel field from the rail out: Title Ready, Jose Ortiz to ride, 117 pounds, 8-1 on the morning line; Curlin’s Honor, Florent Geroux, 115, 12-1; Solomini, Flavien Prat, 115, 3-2; Magnum Moon, Luis Saez, 115, 7-2; Higher Power, Richard Eramia, 117, 20-1; Pryor, David Cabrera, 115, 30-1; Sporting Chance, John Velazquez, 117, 5-1; High North, Gary Stevens, 115, 12-1; Zing Zang, Corey Lanerie, 115, 20-1; Combatant, Ricardo Santana Jr., 115, 8-1; and Bode’s Maker, Jareth Loveberry, 115, 50-1.

Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas said he would have preferred more of an inside draw for Sporting Chance, who was making his 3-year-old debut in the Southwest, but added the Grade 1 winner should be OK from post 7.

“I’m always more concerned who’s around me,” Lukas said. “If the gate opens and you get a nice gap, then you can do what you want away from the gate. You’re either clear early or you’re the clean speed. It always makes a difference. Sometimes we overanalyze the gate position. Everybody says, ‘What about the gate? What about the gate?’ Well, unless you’ve got a crystal ball, you don’t know how it’s going to play out when it opens.”

Higher Power, a half-brother to millionaire and 2012 Oaklawn Handicap winner Alternation, will be making his first start since winning a first-level allowance/optional claimer Jan. 13 at a mile. The son of Medaglia d’Oro had been under consideration for the Southwest before missing about a week of training because of a minor illness, trainer Donnie K. Von Hemel said.

“The 5 post, anywhere in the middle, you’re probably happy with you’ve got,” Von Hemel said. “I think Richard just has to get a break here and there in a competitive race.”

Saez previously rode Sporting Chance, but switches to Magnum Moon, an easy first-level allowance/optional claiming winner (a mile and 40 yards) Feb 15 at Tampa Bay Downs in his last start for trainer Todd Pletcher.

Curlin’s Honor stretches out from 6 furlongs after clearing his first allowance condition by a neck Feb. 25 at Fair Grounds for trainer Mark Casse and co-owner John Oxley. Casse and Oxley won last year’s Arkansas Derby with champion Classic Empire.

Pryor, a Feb. 19 maiden graduate, and Smarty Jones fourth Bode’s Maker are also entered in a first-level allowance/optional claiming race Sunday.

The connections of Pryor were leaning toward the Rebel Friday morning. Bode’s Maker is expected to scratch in favor of the allowance race.

Cover Photo: Bob Baffert; Mark Zerof Photo