The impressive winner of last month's UAE Derby in Dubai, Godolphin's Rebel's Romance will not take his place in the starting gate for the May 1 Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs. According to a Godolphin tweet on Wednesday, the 3-year-old son of Dubawi will instead be headed to the Belmont Stakes on June 4.
“Having spoken to His Highness Sheikh Mohammed, we feel he needs more time and he will now be aimed at the last leg of the US Triple Crown, the G1 Belmont S.,” trainer Charlie Appleby said in the Godolphin tweet.
A winner of four of his five lifetime starts, including two on all-weather surfaces in Britain last year, Rebel's Romance was only defeated when shipping over to Saudi Arabia in February. He finished fourth in the Saudi Derby behind Pink Kamehameha. In the UAE Derby back on his home track at Meydan a month later, Rebel's Romance defeated that rival and 12 others for an impressive 5 1/2-length victory over frontrunner Panadol.
Reflecting on his latest big race win on Dubai World Cup night, Appleby said: “(Rebel's Romance) is still very much a work in progress and he looked much better tonight than he did in Saudi Arabia. I think the biggest attribute to him today is that he was going to stay. We were always confident he was going to stay. Stepping up in trip was going to be his forte.”
The Godolphin homebred is out of the winning Street Cry mare Minidress, herself a daughter of dual Group 3 winner Short Skirt. Minidress is a also full sister to recent Group 3 winner Volcanic Sky, winner of the G3 Nad Al Sheba Trophy at Meydan on Feb. 25, 2021 (1 3/4 mile on the turf).
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