NADAL TAKES THE REBEL STAKES AT OAKLAWN PARK

NADAL

Bob Baffert increased his stranglehold on this year’s Kentucky Derby when his star colt NADAL remained unbeaten in three starts with a hard-fought win in the $1 million Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn Park in Arkansas. The track was wet and muddy but the off-track fans sent off the son of Blame at odds of 4-5 even thought the inept morning line maker had put the horse in at 5-2. Nadal went straight to the lead and shared it with No Parole the first couple of furlongs but soon asserted his authority and started to pull away under jockey Joel Rosario and win by ¾ lengths at the wire.
Coming into the stretch he looked like an obvious winner but then had to hold off a furious late run from 82-1 outsider Excession. The win almost certainly gives Nadal enough points to make it to the starting gate of the Derby, and he will likely be the favorite at post time. As we mentioned in a previous report, Nadal cost $700,000 at the sales, and one of his owners is planning to show up in tennis shorts at the Derby. It is also possible that the horse’s namesake might turn up in Kentucky, but only of course if the ATP tennis tour remains on hiatus. It was the seventh win in the Rebel for Baffert who know has a nap hand going in the Derby.

AUTHENTIC

His impressive unbeaten horse AUTHENTIC won the San Felipe Stakes at Santa Anita last week and just twenty minutes after the Rebel at a deserted Santa Anita, Baffert’s brilliant looking CHARLATAN romped home in an allowance race to go unbeaten in two starts. The powerful looking son of Speightstown is a front running beast who just powers his opponents into the ground and this effort was no exception. The winning margin at the end of the one mile race was 10 1/4 lengths, and it could have been more had the jockey pushed him harder. This is another $700,000 purchase that is out of the Quiet American mare Authenticity, who was a Grade 2 winner in her own right. Many local media have pointed out relentlessly that Baffert is taking the same route with Charlatan as he did with Justify, and we all know what happened there.
Unfortunately there were no fans on hand in Arkansas or California to see these horses run due to the pandemic lockdown. The prognosis for the Kentucky Derby looks bleak at this stage, but if it does happen then Baffert could easily fill the first three places in the race.