Oaklawn Park features the most lucrative spur of the Kentucky Derby trail. Their three-year-old series is back in action on Saturday, February 26 with the Rebel Stakes. The $1,000,000 horse race drew a field of eleven three-year-old horses, an intriguing mix of familiar stakes horses and up-and-coming colts.
The race offers 50-20-10-5 Road to the Kentucky Derby points to the top four finishers. That 50-point bonanza to the winner means whoever crosses the wire first is virtually guaranteed a spot in the Kentucky Derby on May 7. This race perennially has a strong effect on the Kentucky Derby picture, so read on to find out who is likely to excel this weekend!
Before putting your money down for the 2022 Rebel Stakes, you need to know where to bet the race. Though you can’t always get to Hawthorne Race Course, Fairmount Park, or an OTB near one of those tracks, the good news is, you have many options for online racebooks open to Illinois bettors. And, these online racebooks offer benefits many in-person sites don’t!
There are many options for online betting, and it can be hard to choose the right one. Fortunately, our expert reviews can help you choose the best online racebook based on how you like to bet! They help you sort through the features as well as the lucrative bonuses, and give you the information you need to choose the one that fits your betting style.
These are the top online betting websites for Illinois players:
Once you have created your account at the best Illinois sportsbook for you, it is time to pick a winner! Read on to get to know the horses, and to find out expert analysis to help you cash your ticket.
This is the official field for the 2022 Rebel Stakes including post positions, trainers, and jockeys:
Closer to the race, Oaklawn will release morning lines. Those are the track’s best estimation of the post time odds, though they are not the odds you are guaranteed to get if you bet the race at the track.
Your better bet is to play the race on an Illinois online racebook. These sites offer fixed-odds wagering. This means you can lock in the best available odds the moment you place your bet, and be confident that future market activity will not change your price.
Despite the eleven-horse field, the likely betting favorite Newgrange appears to be the goods in the Rebel Stakes. The Rebel has belonged to trainer Bob Baffert in recent years; he has won the race eight times since 2010, including with Triple Crown champion American Pharoah in 2015.
Even beyond the barn record, Newgrange has already made a successful foray to Oaklawn. He won the Southwest (G3) there in January. His speed figures stand out compared to his foes, and he also has the tactical speed to work out an excellent trip in the Rebel Stakes. With his regular jockey John Velazquez hopping on the plane to ride, Newgrange should be tough once again.
The best way to make a bigger score in the Rebel this year will be to play exotic wagers around Newgrange.
Chasing Time is trying stakes company for the first time, but this is the perfect time for him to try it! Last time out he tried two turns for the first time, in an allowance at Oaklawn, and he won with complete authority. Though this will be a class test, he does not need a big step up from that allowance form to be a factor, and his tactical speed helps his case as well.
Barber Road has been a familiar face in the underneath rungs of recent stakes races. He has finished second in his last three starts, including last time out, when he ran second behind Newgrange in the Southwest. He is versatile enough to run a good race from any kind of trip, and has already proven that he handles the Oaklawn surface nicely.
For a longer shot to get a piece underneath, consider Ethereal Road. D. Wayne Lukas can sometimes pop up with a longshot in Hot Springs, and if Ethereal Road can run back to his maiden win in stakes company he has a great chance to be just that kind of horse. That maiden win was his first two-turn effort over a dry track, suggesting that he may have finally found his best game.
Now that you know where and how to bet the race online, here are the best bets for Saturday’s 2022 Rebel Stakes:
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