Rebel With a Cause hopes to turn tables on Outfielder in the Mahony
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SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Rebel With a Cause was no match for Outfielder when beaten 3 1/4 lengths in the William Walker Stakes at Churchill Downs in May. There may be a few reasons to believe Rebel With a Cause can fare better Sunday when the two meet again in the Grade 3, $225,000 Mahony Stakes for 3-year-old turf sprinters at Saratoga.
Rebel With a Cause, a son of 2019 Grade 3 Troy Stakes winner Leinster, came out of the William Walker with sore feet, trainer Lauren Robson said, owing to a very firm Churchill Downs turf course. Rebel With a Cause bounced back with a 1 1/4-length victory in the My Frenchman Stakes at Monmouth Park. That was his third win from four starts sprinting on turf.
“Very impressed last time,” Robson said. “Jose Ferrer rode him nice, he covered him up. He had him pretty much in the bridle, but he kept a good hold of him. It was nice to see him run down better horses like that.”
The My Frenchman Stakes effort came off a two-month layoff, but Rebel With a Cause has won running back on short rest in the past, having won two races at Gulfstream in a 23-day span.
“I generally like to space his races out a little bit, but he’s coming in here off a good run, acting good, eating well,” Robson said.
Javier Castellano rides Rebel With a Cause from the rail in the 5 1/2-furlong race.
Outfielder, who is 3 for 4 in the United States, will be a strong favorite. Following his William Walker win, trainer Wesley Ward shipped Outfielder to England, where he finished 10th of 22 in the Group 1 Commonwealth Cup in June. Once he returned from England, Ward got him right back on the work tab. He shows five breezes at Keeneland leading to this race, which Ward hopes gets him to Kentucky Downs.
“He went over [to England] and didn’t run quite as good as we were hoping, but you don’t get the quality here that you get over there,” Ward said. “He’s had some great works on the dirt here at Keeneland, but he’s a proven grass horse and he’s doing super.”
Though he showed the ability to rate in the William Walker, there’s a good chance Outfielder will be on or close to the pace Sunday under John Velazquez.
Intricate Spirit, one of two in here for trainer Miguel Clement, finished fifth in the Grade 3 Quick Call Stakes with a horrible trip. He was off last, then steadied multiple times in that race. In the stretch, jockey Manny Franco had to take a hold of him and guided him into the nine path, where he showed late interest to be beaten just 3 1/4 lengths.
“He’s going to run a very good race. He’s been training lights out,” Clement said. “I thought he ran a great race last out – just a victim of trip scenario.”
Intricate Spirit’s better races are when he’s forward, but he often misses the break. If he breaks well Sunday, Intricate Spirit should be right there, “and if he doesn’t break, that’s okay,” Clement said. “It’s only a seven-horse field. The other day, every horse that backed up, backed up into me.”
Big Destroyer won his debut at Aqueduct in April and then finished second to Rebel With a Cause in the My Frenchman, having to go wide in the stretch.
“I thought he ran a very good race. The winner slipped through on the fence and I had to go four or five wide,” Clement said. “The horse in front of me kept lugging out and interfered with me a little bit.”
Learntodiscover came with a powerful late run to upset the Grade 3 Quick Call at 23-1. He is unlikely to get a similar pace as that day.
Stradale, trained by Steve Asmussen, was fourth in the Quick Call in what was his turf debut. Oscar’s Hope, a son of Twirling Candy trained by Kinnon LaRose, will be making his turf debut after going 4 for 10 on dirt.