The Rebel Stakes is a

Grade II In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

American

Thoroughbred horse race Thoroughbred racing is a sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport – flat racing and jump racing, the latter known as National Hunt racing in ...

for three-year-old horses held over a distance of one and one-sixteenth miles run on dirt each February at

Oaklawn Park Race Track Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort, formerly Oaklawn Park Race Track, is an American thoroughbred horse race, thoroughbred racetrack and casino in Hot Springs, Arkansas. It is the home to "The Racing Festival of the South", a four-day series of races t ...

Hot Springs, Arkansas Hot Springs is a resort city in the state of Arkansas and the county seat of Garland County, Arkansas, Garland County. The city is located in the Ouachita Mountains among the U.S. Interior Highlands, and is set among several natural hot springs ...

. As of 2024, it offers a purse of $1,250,000. It is the second leg of Oaklawn's three-year-old stakes program, run after the

Southwest Stakes The Southwest Stakes is a Grade III American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old horses at a distance of one and one-sixteenth miles on the dirt run annually in late January at Oaklawn Park Race Track in Hot Springs, Arkansas. The event c ...

and before the

Arkansas Derby The Arkansas Derby is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held annually in April at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Arkansas. It is currently a Grade I race run over a distance of 1 1/8 miles (9 furlongs) on dirt. In 2004, t ...

; it is also part of the

Road to the Kentucky Derby The Road to the Kentucky Derby is a points system by which horses qualify for a position in the starting gate for the Kentucky Derby. It features dozens of stakes races for 2 and 3-year-old Thoroughbreds – the number and specific races have chang ...

History

The race was first run on March 18, 1961, as the Rebel Handicap over a distance of one mile and seventy yards. It was won by Mrs. Vera E. Smith's Bass Clef in 1:42. The victory was Bass Clef's fifth in a row, a run that included the Louisiana Derby. Later in the spring, Bass Clef would finish third to Carry Back in the

Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby () is an American Graded stakes race, Grade I stakes Thoroughbred racing, race run at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The race is run by three-year-old Thoroughbreds at a distance of . Colt (horse), Colts and geldin ...

. The event immediately became a preparatory event for the

. The 1965 winner Swift Ruler won both races. In 1984, the conditions of the event were changed from handicap to stakes allowance and the event was renamed the Rebel Stakes. That same year the distance was increased to one and one-sixteenth miles. In 1990, the event was upgraded to Grade III. It was downgraded to Listed for the 2003 and 2004 runnings. It was upgraded in 2008 to a Grade II by the American Graded Stakes Committee. Since 2013, the event has been part of the

. In 2019, the event was split into two divisions after Oaklawn president Louis Cella presented a sporting gesture after the

San Felipe Stakes The San Felipe Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. It is a Grade II event open to three-year-old horses. Normally held in early -March, it is raced at a distance of one and one-s ...

was abandoned in California. Road to Kentucky Derby qualification points for the first four finishers were adjusted.

Records

Time record: * miles – 1:41.00 Vanlandingham (1984) *1 mile and 70 yards – 1:40.80 Betemight (1967) Margins: *7 lengths – Etony (1968), Manastash Ridge (1989) Most wins by an owner: * 5 - Loblolly Stable (1980, 1984, 1987, 1992, 1993) Most wins by a

jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase (horse racing), steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used ...

: * 5 - Mike E. Smith (1986, 1993, 1999, 2014, 2019) Most wins by a trainer: * 8 -

Bob Baffert Robert A. Baffert (born January 13, 1953) is an American racehorse trainer. He has trained two Triple Crown winners: American Pharoah in 2015 and Justify in 2018. Baffert's horses have won the Kentucky Derby six times, tying the record with ...

(2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2020, 2021) Rebel Stakes –

double: * Swift Ruler (1965), Traffic Mark (1969), Promised City (1975), Temperence Hill (1980), Bold Ego (1981), Sunny's Halo (1983), Demons Begone (1987), Pine Bluff (1992), Victory Gallop (1998), Smarty Jones (2004), Lawyer Ron (2006), Curlin (2007), American Pharoah (2015), Omaha Beach (2019)

Winners

''Notes:''
§ Ran as an entry
ƒ Ran as the field entry
† Floral Shop was first past the post but was disqualified for interference and placed second. Spike Nail was declared the winner.

External links

Oaklawn Park Media Guide 2021

References

{{reflist, 2 1961 establishments in Arkansas Horse races in Arkansas Oaklawn Park Flat horse races for three-year-olds Triple Crown Prep Races Graded stakes races in the United States Horse races established in 1961 Grade 2 stakes races in the United States

History

Records

Winners

See also

External links

References