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Rebel\u2019s Romance: nine-time G1 winner will bid for Breeders\u2019 Cup treble at Del Mar. Photo: NYRA \/ Walter Wlodarczyk<\/p>\nRebel\u2019s Romance: nine-time G1 winner will bid for Breeders\u2019 Cup treble at Del Mar. Photo: NYRA \/ Walter Wlodarczyk<\/p>\n
Yet another G1 win for Godolphin\u2019s globetrotting gelding Rebel\u2019s Romance \u2013 that\u2019s nine now, not even including Qatar! \u2013 and the dual Breeders\u2019 Cup hero has sneaked up another place in Thoroughbred Racing Commentary\u2019s Global Rankings.<\/p>\n
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After a resounding 3\u00bd-length victory in the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic at Aqueduct (\u2018Belmont at the Big A\u2019, naturally) on Saturday [Sept 27], the famously durable seven-year-old moves up to #6 (from #7, +54pt).<\/p>\n
Frankly, it is no more than he deserves. Rebel\u2019s Romance has now won 20 of his 29 career starts \u2013 among them nine G1s, plus two editions of the richly endowed Amir\u2019s Trophy in Qatar \u2013 and, with more than \u00a311 million (about $14.4m) in the bank, stands third on the all-time list of British prize-money earners behind Thunder Snow and Mishriff. He\u2019s won ten out of 13 since 2024.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
In Saturday\u2019s race, Rebel\u2019s Romance was totally dominant as the odds-on favorite, controlling the race after a strong early move under Frankie Dettori<\/strong> (#12 from #13, +20pt), enjoying another big-race win in the royal blues he wore in such a distinguished fashion for so many years.<\/p>\n All roads now lead back to the Breeders\u2019 Cup Turf at Del Mar, where Rebel\u2019s Romance will bid for a third success in the $5m contest on November 1.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m delighted with Rebel\u2019s Romance, who keeps putting his rivals to the sword,\u201d commented trainer Charlie Appleby<\/strong> (stays at #2, +67pt). \u201cIt was a great ride from Frankie and it\u2019s all systems go now towards the Breeders\u2019 Cup.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Mystik Dan<\/strong>\u00a0(#54 from #155, +183pt) has bounced around the rankings in the period with some mixed efforts since last year\u2019s Kentucky Derby success.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n With jockey Francisco Arrieta substituting for the injured Brian Hernandez, he returned to the Churchill Downs winner\u2019s circle for the fourth time with a gallant effort, produced between horses after meeting trouble in the $500,000 Lukas Classic.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThis horse just exudes class,\u201d said trainer Ken McPeek. \u201cHe acts like an old professional.\u201d<\/p>\n The Breeders\u2019 Cup Dirt Mile is beckoning \u2013 a race in which he is likely to face defending champ Full Serrano, beaten at odds-on by upcoming three-year-old Nevada Beach <\/strong>(enters at #104) after a front-end battle in the G1 Goodwood at Santa Anita.<\/p>\n This was a \u2018win and you\u2019re in\u2019 race for the Breeders\u2019 Cup Classic \u2013 and Bob Baffert<\/strong> (stays at #4, -2) fancies the big show for the lightly-raced winner.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \u201cUnless I see something I don\u2019t like between now and then, as of now we\u2019ll definitely run in the Breeders\u2019 Cup,\u201d he said. \u201cHe\u2019ll like the distance. He was just getting going there at the end.\u201d<\/p>\n Leading Californian-based turfer Johannes <\/strong>(#76 from #92, +56pt) is back en route to the BC Mile after completing back-to-back successes in the G2 City of Hope \u2013 on only his second start since a runner-up effort at last year\u2019s Breeders\u2019 Cup. Shame the BC isn\u2019t at Santa Anita for him, as he is eight-for-eight over that grass.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Dual G1 winner Locked<\/strong> (#36 from #75pt, +106pt) regained winning form in the G2 Woodward at Aqueduct.<\/p>\n Looking further afield, veteran eight-year-old Win Carnelian<\/strong> (#185 from #752pt, +245pt) grabbed his first G1 success in the Sprinters Stakes at Nakayama \u2013 in a time of 1m 06.9s the second-fastest winning time of the race after the great Lord Kanaloa set a new track record in 2012 (1m 06.7s).<\/p>\n Godolphin three-year-old Beiwacht <\/strong>(#196 from #896pt, +275pt) went one better in Australia with a course record in the Golden Rose at Rosehill, while barely a week seems to go by without mentioning the name of leading French-based trainer Francis Graffard<\/strong> (stays at #7, +23pt).<\/p>\n With Arc weekend in the offing, Graffard landed yet another G1 win with the Aga Khan Studs\u2019 Sibayan<\/strong> (#89 from #221, +136pt) in the Preis von Europa at Cologne racecourse on Sunday [Sept 28].<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Britain\u2019s schedule was largely dominated by two-year-old races \u2013 but the hugely progressive Zeus Olympios<\/strong> (#63 from #309, +261pt, a three-year-old son of Night Of Thunder<\/strong> (#7 from #8, +66pt among turf sires) took his unbeaten record to four in the G2 Joel Stakes at Newmarket on Friday [Sept 26], readily accounting for \u2018talking horse\u2019 Opera Ballo.<\/p>\n A fine season is being enjoyed by every member of the winning team, namely owner Sheikh Mohammed Obaid<\/strong> (#13 from #19, +96pt), trainer Karl Burke<\/strong> (#29 from #34, +26pt) and jockey Clifford Lee<\/strong> (#62 from #73, +24pt). Indeed, 24 hours later, they combined again to land the valuable Cambridgeshire \u2013 a historic handicap \u2013 with top-weight Boiling Point, who is clearly a Group horse.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0View the latest TRC Global Rankings for horses \/<\/a>\u00a0jockeys \/<\/a>\u00a0trainers \/<\/a>\u00a0sires<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n \u2018He needed to win something\u2019 \u2013 relief all round as Baeza gets his G1 in Penn Derby<\/a><\/p>\n \u2018That\u2019s why he\u2019s a champion\u2019 \u2013 Ka Ying Rising confirms world-leading status in Everest prep<\/a><\/p>\n Todd Pletcher back in Top Ten as Fierceness leads impressive G1 haul<\/a><\/p>\n