Rejuvenated Rebel's Romance might return to United States
?q=100)
Rebel’s Romance had an all but lost 2023 season after winning the Breeders’ Cup Turf in his 2022 finale, but trainer Charlie Appleby said the gelding had regained his confidence winning races this winter at Kempton Park in England and in Qatar – and he was right.
Rebel’s Romance got a great trip under William Buick on Saturday in the $6 million Sheema Classic, sitting second behind a dawdling pace, and made the most of it, getting first run on the closers and winning a star-studded contest by two lengths over Shahryar. The race earned a strong 125 Timeform Rating, roughly equivalent to a 110 Beyer Speed Figure.
Rebel’s Romance made two trips to New York last summer, the first ending in relative disaster when he clipped heels and unseated Richard Mullen in the Bowling Green at Saratoga, the second a flat fourth in the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic last October at Aqueduct. Rebel’s Romance in his last three races has traded his old closing style for stalking tactics and has turned his career back the right direction, and Appleby said in a Sunday text message he was hopeful the gelding would return to America this year.
:: Bet the races with a $200 First Deposit Match + FREE All Access PPs! Join DRF Bets.
Appleby and his lone client, Godolphin, appear to have assembled a strong team, headed by Master of The Seas, for the spring meet at Keeneland that begins Friday.
Master of The Seas, winner of the Breeders’ Cup Mile in November after missing by a nose to Up to the Mark in the Coolmore Turf Mile at Keeneland, is nominated to the Maker’s Mark Mile on April 11. So, too, is Naval Power, who has raced only twice since 2022 but was a sharp winner of the Singspiel Stakes on Feb. 23 at Meydan.
Mischief Magic, winner of the 2022 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint, is nominated to Saturday’s Shakertown; Dazzling Star, third last year in the Natalma at Woodbine, is nominated to the Appalachian, also Saturday; and Musical Act, who campaigned in Dubai this winter, is nominated to Friday’s Transylvania Stakes.
:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.