Oaklawn Sunday: Rebel Stakes, Plus Full Screen Aims High

The journey to the 151st Kentucky Derby continues this weekend at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Arkansas with the $1,250,000 Rebel Stakes (G2). However, the race, as part of a stakes-filled card, will be held Sunday, Feb. 23, rather than Saturday due to weather.

One of the supporting stakes on Rebel day is the $500,000 Razorback Stakes (named for an Arkansas school mascot) and in that field is Canadian-bred/Ontario-sired FULL SCREEN (Big Screen) who is looking to upset the 1 1/16 mile dirt race. Full Screen is owned by Pantofel Stable, Wachtel Stable and Gary Barber and trained by Mark Casse.

The Rebel will offer 105 total points (50-25-15-10-5, respectively) to the top five finishers toward Kentucky Derby starting eligibility. Oaklawn’s four-race Kentucky Derby qualifying series concludes with the $1.5 million Arkansas Derby (G1) at 1 1/8 miles March 29.

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If the 14-horse Rebel field remains intact, it will equal the second-largest in race history. The 1980 edition had 15 starters, with the winner, Temperence Hill, emerging as the country’s champion three-year-old male.

Rebel entrants from the rail out: Coal Battle for trainer Lonnie Briley, Admiral Dennis (Brad Cox), Sandman (Mark Casse), Hypnus (Kenny McPeek), Madaket Road (Bob Baffert), Publisher (Steve Asmussen), Dreaminblue (Randy Morse), Innovator (D. Wayne Lukas), Smoken Wicked (Dallas Stewart), Bullard (Michael McCarthy), Speed King (Ron Moquett), Brereton’s Baytown (Paul McEntee), Tiztastic (Asmussen) and Hot Gunner (Scott Young).

SANDMAN, a pretty grey three-year-old by Tapit, is an exciting prospect for Casse, who goes after his first Derby. A $1.2 million purchase from last year’s Ocala Breeders’ sales March two-year-olds in training auction, Sandman is coming along after a bit of an inconsistent beginning to his career. In his latest, the Grade 3 Southwest Stakes at Oak, Sandman had a slow and awkward start and a messy trip, but he ended up second by a length with a career best 92 Beyer Figure.

Sandman is owned by D.J. Stable, St. Elias Stable, West Point Thoroughbred and CJ Stables.

Although Speed King is entered, co-owner Ted Bowman and trainer Ron Moquett said it’s not certain the lightly-raced son of Volatile will start.

“If everything just goes good, the plan is to run,” Bowman said. “Things change – weather and then training. A lot of those shippers, I don’t know when they’re planning on coming in. It’s probably a little later in the week.”

Bowman said Speed King will await the Arkansas Derby if he skips the Rebel.

In his last start, Speed King, after breaking from post 9, scored a front-running one-length victory in the $1 million Southwest Stakes (G3) Jan. 25. The 1 1/16-mile Southwest was Oaklawn’s second Kentucky Derby qualifying race and third career start for Speed King. Speed King drew post 11 for the Rebel.

“I think there’s a lot of speed on the inside,” Bowman said. “We were in the nine (hole) last time looking at the speed and we went ahead and went. Still don’t feel like we have to go to the lead. We think he’ll rate and we’ll just see how it (develops). If no one goes, we’ll go.”

Coal Battle is unbeaten in four career dirt starts, including the $250,000 Smarty Jones Stakes on Jan. 4 in his last start. The 1 1/16-mile Smarty Jones was Oaklawn’s first Kentucky Derby qualifying race.

Bullard, who has never raced outside California, has won two of three starts, including the $100,000 Bob Hope Stakes (G3) at seven furlongs Nov. 17 at Del Mar. Bullard, by 2017 Horse of the Year Gun Runner, has never raced around two turns. Madaket Road, second in the Bob Hope in his career debut, is trying to give Baffert his record-extending ninth Rebel victory.

The Rebel is race 11 on Sunday with a 6:23 post time Eastern.

The race before the Rebel is the Razorback, which is for older horses and includes Full Screen, bred by Spring Farm and purchased in 2020 by Nidel Charfi for $7,280 (US). The plain bay gelding out of the Langfuhr mare Lyndenshire won the Elgin and Lake Ontario Stakes in 2022 for Charfi and trainer Julie Belhumeur. The gelding was then purchased privately by his current owners in 2023. Full Screen has won two races since he changed barns including an allowance race on the Oaklawn track in December.