A million-dollar purse and Kentucky Derby qualifying points are on the line in the Grade 2 Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn Park as it offers points on a 50-20-10-5 basis to the top four finishers. The Rebel is among five stakes races to be run Saturday at Oaklawn on a card that also features champion Whitmore making his seasonal debut in the $200,000 Hot Springs Stakes.
Swiss Skydiver, the champion 3-year-old filly of 2020 and No. 6 ranked horse on the NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll, is also set to be in action as she makes her 4-year-old debut live on TVG in Saturday's Grade 1 Beholder Mile.
The Rebel will be televised live on TVG. It will also be shown on NYRA's YouTube channel and on the Fox Sports app as part of the America's Day at the Races telecast.
America's Day at the Races, presented by Claiborne Farm and America's Best Racing, will air on FS1 and FS2 Saturday and Sunday showing races from Aqueduct, Oaklawn Park and other tracks.
In addition to racing from Santa Anita and Oaklawn Park, TVG will feature racing from Gulfstream Park, Aqueduct and more. Fans can tune in on TVG, TVG2 and the Watch TVG app which is available on Amazon Fire, Roku and connected Apple TV devices.
Saturday, March 13
1:28 p.m.–$100,000 Beyond The Wire Stakes at Laurel Park
After five wins in a row, Lucky 7 Stables' Street Lute will try something new when she puts her streak on the line in Saturday's $100,000 Beyond the Wire Saturday at Laurel Park. A neck loss in the Maryland Million Lassie last fall remains the only blemish on Street Lute's resume. She has since reeled off wins in the Smart Halo, Maryland Juvenile Filly Championship and Gin Talking en route to being voted Maryland's champion 2-year-old filly of 2020, and the Xtra Heat and Wide Country so far in 2021.
Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/LRL031321USA3-EQB.html
2:27 p.m.–$75,000 Not For Love Stakes at Laurel Park
Madaket Stables, Ten Strike Racing, Michael Kisber and Black Cloud Racing Stable's Whereshetoldmetogo, winner of back-to-back stakes to end his 2020 campaign, returns looking to make it three in a row in Saturday's $75,000 Not For Love. Now trained by Brittany Russell, 6-year-old Whereshetoldmetogo is a six-time stakes winner with $541,291 in purse earnings. Four of his stakes wins have come from six starts at Laurel – the 2018 Concern and Star de Naskra and 2020 Frank Y. Whiteley and Fire Plug.
Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/LRL031321USA5-EQB.html
3:00 p.m.–$100,000 Harrison E. Johnson Memorial at Laurel Park
Hillwood Stable's Cordmaker, second or third in six of his last seven starts, looks to break through with a return to his multiple stakes-winning form in Saturday's $100,000 Harrison E. Johnson Memorial at Laurel Park. Cordmaker's resume shows eight wins, four in stakes, thirds in the historic Pimlico Special (G3) in 2019 and 2020 and a bankroll of more than $500,000 from 27 lifetime starts, but the 6-year-old son of two-time Horse of the Year and 2014 Hall of Famer Curlin hasn't won in 10 starts since the DTHA Governors Day Handicap in September 2019.
Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/LRL031321USA6-EQB.html
3:03 p.m.—$350,000 Grade 2 Azeri Stakes at Oaklawn Park on FS2 and TVG
Shedaresthedevil, winner of 2020 Kentucky Oaks, will make her seasonal debut in the Azeri Stakes, the final major local prep for the Grade 1 Apple Blossom Handicap on April 17. Trained by Brad Cox, Shedaresthedevil will be making her first start since finishing third in her first race against older horses, the Grade 1 Spinster Stakes October 4 at Keeneland. The daughter of Daredevil had won her previous three starts, including the $1.25 million Kentucky Oaks last September 4, where she defeated eventual divisional champion Swiss Skydiver.
Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/OP031321USA5-EQB.html
3:34 p.m.–$75,000 Conniver Stakes at Laurel Park
Three Diamonds Farm's Grade 3-placed Kiss the Girl, second last out in her return to stakes competition, will get another shot at becoming a stakes winner in the $75,000 Conniver sprinting seven furlongs Saturday. The Conniver will be the 12th career start for Kiss the Girl, a 4-year-old daughter of Into Mischief, and fourth since joining training Mike Trombetta's string. Prior to that she ran twice for Todd Pletcher, finishing second by a neck in the 2019 Schuylerville (G3), and won one of five 2020 starts for Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen.
Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/LRL031321USA7-EQB.html
4:07 p.m.–$100,000 Private Terms Stakes at Laurel Park
Michael Dubb and Bethlehem Stables' Maythehorsebwithu, who became a stakes winner in dominant fashion last month, will stretch out for his longest race to date off his shortest turnaround yet in Saturday's $100,000 Private Terms at Laurel Park. Maythehorsebwithu returns in 21 days following a four-length triumph in the Miracle Wood, which was rescheduled from Feb. 13 due to inclement weather. Trainer Brittany Russell left the decision to run up to the bay gelding, who breezed a half-mile 48 seconds March 6 at Laurel, third-fastest of 60 horses.
Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/LRL031321USA8-EQB.html
5:45 p.m.—$200,000 Hot Springs Stakes at Oaklawn Park on FS2 and TVG
Whitmore, the champion male sprinter of 2020, will be making his seasonal debut in the Hot Springs Stakes where he will attempt to win the six-furlong test for a fifth consecutive year. The 8-year-old gelding used his famed kick to capture the Breeders' Cup Sprint at Keeneland last November en route to earning the Eclipse Award for divisional honors. Trained by Ron Moquett, Whitmore first won the Hot Springs Stakes in 2017.
Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/OP031321USA10-EQB.html
6:16 p.m.—$1,000,000 Grade 2 Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn Park on TVG
Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert bids for an eighth Rebel victory when he sends out unbeaten Concert Tour and recent maiden graduate Hozier in Saturday's $1 million race. Concert Tour, who will be making his two-turn debut in the Rebel, broke his maiden January 15 at Santa Anita and won the Grade 2 San Vicente Stakes February 6 at Santa Anita Park. Among Concert Tour's top rivals in the Rebel are Caddo River, winner of the Smarty Jones Stakes at Oaklawn on January 22, and Keepmeinmind, who captured the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes last November.
Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/OP031321USA11-EQB.html
6:46 p.m.—$100,000 Grade 3 San Simeon Stakes at Santa Anita Park on TVG
Bob and Jackie would appear to rate a big chance cutting back in distance for Richard Baltas as he faces sharp recent winner Gregorian Chant, defending champ Cistron and Jolie Olimpica (BRZ), who will be facing males for the first time in North America in Saturday's San Simeon Stakes. Bob and Jackie has won four out of his 10 lifetime starts and will be sprinting for the first time since his debut at age two in 2018 when he was a close second going 6 ½ furlongs on Santa Anita's hillside turf course.
Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/SA031321USA7-EQB.html
7:20 p.m.—$300,000 Grade 1 Beholder Mile at Santa Anita Park on TVG
Swiss Skydiver, the reigning champion 3-year-old filly, is poised to make her 2021 debut as she heads a field of eight older fillies and mares in Saturday's Beholder Mile. Trained by Kenny McPeek and owned by Peter J. Callahan, Swiss Skydiver, who defeated males in the Preakness Stakes, has been idle since running seventh in the Breeders' Cup Distaff at Keeneland last November. The daughter of Daredevil was impressive in her lone Santa Anita appearance, going gate to wire while taking the Grade 2 Santa Anita Oaks by four lengths last June 6.
Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/SA031321USA8-EQB.html
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