Saturday’s $1 million Rebel Stakes is the third of four qualifying points preps at Oaklawn Park for the May 1 Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve and it has an influential history on the road to the Derby.

In years past, horses such as Smarty Jones, Curlin, and American Pharoah have used Rebel wins to propel them to victories in the Arkansas Derby and then on to success in the Triple Crown series. The Grade 2, 1 1/16-mile Rebel offers Derby points to the top four finishers on a 50-20-10-5 scale as well as a hefty purse distribution.

This year’s Rebel drew a competitive eight-horse field headlined by Smarty Jones Stakes winner Caddo River and California invader Concert Tour. The Rebel will be televised on TVG and also shown live on NYRA’s YouTube channel as part of the “America’s Day at the Races” show. It has a scheduled post time of 6:16 p.m. ET.

Read on for information about all of the Rebel Stakes starters.

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1. Caddo River (9-5)

Jockey: Florent Geroux

Trainer: Brad Cox

Owner: Shortleaf Stable

Career record: 4 starts – 2 wins – 2 seconds – 0 thirds

Career earnings: $166,092

Earnings per start: $41,523

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 101

Kentucky Derby Points: 10

Pedigree: Hard Spun – Pangburn, by Congrats

Color: Dark bay or brown

Running style: Pacesetter

Notable achievements and interesting facts: Caddo River will vie for post-time favorite status in the Rebel with Concert Tour as he makes his return to Oaklawn's track after a flashy 2021 debut in the Smarty Jones Stakes on Jan. 22. He was sent off as the 3-5 favorite in the Smarty Jones based on a dominant maiden win last November to close out his 2-year-old season, and he backed up that support with pacesetting 10 ¼-length victory. Caddo River overpowered his opponents in January, and it’s worth pointing out that the overall field was not that highly regarded six weeks ago. (Runner-up Cowan went on to finish second in the Saudi Cup Derby overseas and fourth-place finisher Moonlite Strike checked in a nonthreatening third in the Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby last week). Still, this athletic Hard Spun colt checks all of the boxes as an upper-tier Kentucky Derby contender: high cruising speed, competitive speed figures, solid distance pedigree, and successful connections. It will be interesting to see if Joel Rosario, riding Concert Tour, allows Caddo River to get an easy early lead in the Rebel as there are no other starters that have shown the ability in their recent races to contest the pace and have enough left late to compete. Look for Florent Geroux, who has been aboard Caddo River for both of his wins, to send his mount to the front as soon as the starting gate opens from the rail post position and attempt to wire the field. Arkansas-based owner John Ed Anthony has won the Rebel five times with Temperence Hill (1980), Vanlandingham (1984), Demons Begone (1987), Pine Bluff (1992), and Dalhart (1993).

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2. Big Lake (12-1)

Jockey: Ricardo Santana Jr.

Trainer: Steve Asmussen

Owner: Mike Rutherford

Career record: 4 starts – 2 wins – 0 seconds – 1 third

Career earnings: $74,324

Earnings per start: $18,581

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 95

Kentucky Derby Points: 0

Pedigree: American Pharoah – Resistivity, by Student Council

Color: Chestnut

Running style: Press the pace/stalker

Notable achievements and interesting facts: Big Lake is 2-for-2 in 2021 after going winless in two starts as a juvenile. He profiles as a good trifecta or superfecta filler in Saturday’s Rebel, although he’s a longshot win candidate. His wins came at Fair Grounds, taking a 1 1/16-mile maiden race by a neck after closing well on Jan. 16 and then holding on for a half-length win in a Feb. 13 allowance-optional claiming race at the same distance after opening up on the field by six lengths in early stretch. He earned a career-best 95 Equibase Speed Figure in his most recent win and another step forward Saturday would give him a shot at the upset. Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen, who won his 700^th race at Oaklawn Park earlier this year, has won the Rebel four times: Snuck In (2000), Windward Passage (2002), Hall of Famer Curlin (2007), and Long Range Toddy (first division in 2019). He saddled longshot runner-up Excession and third-place Basin in last year’s renewal.

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3. Hozier (12-1)

Jockey: Martin Garcia

Trainer: Bob Baffert

Owners: SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Stonestreet Stables, Golconda Stable, Siena Farm, and Robert Masterson

Career record: 2 starts – 1 win – 0 seconds – 0 thirds

Career earnings: $40,260

Earnings per start: $20,130

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 89

Kentucky Derby Points: 0

Pedigree: Pioneerof the Nile – Merry Meadow, by Henny Hughes

Color: Bay

Running style: Stalker

Notable achievements and interesting facts: Hozier ships into Hot Springs as the under-the-radar Rebel contender from Hall of Famer Bob Baffert’s barn compared with Concert Tour. He finished a distant fourth to that stablemate in a six-furlong sprint at Santa Anita Park on Jan. 15, the debut race for both horses. The Pioneerof the Nile colt upped his game in the next start, however, as Baffert put him in a two-turn, 1 1/16-mile maiden race on Feb. 15 at Santa Anita, and Hozier scored by 1 ¾ lengths after saving ground under Joel Rosario and then angling out in the stretch and running down the pacesetter. He boosted his Equibase Speed Figure by 21 points to an 89 in that effort, and similar improvement will be required to topple his heralded barn mate and Caddo River and upset the Rebel Stakes, but stranger things have happened. He’s posted two good workouts at Santa Anita since his win and, while Rosario stays on Concert Tour in the Rebel, Hozier picks up a rider in Martin Garcia who is both a good judge of pace and has enjoyed a career renaissance of sorts since shifting his tack to Oaklawn Park. Hozier’s dam, Merry Meadow, earned more than $850,000 on the track and was a multiple stakes-winning sprinter. Baffert has won the Rebel a record seven times: Lookin At Lucky (2010), The Factor (2011), Secret Circle (2012), Hoppertunity (2014), Triple Crown winner American Pharoah (2015), Cupid (2016), and Nadal (2020). Garcia was aboard The Factor and Cupid for their Rebel wins.

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4. Get Her Number (8-1)

Jockey: Javier Castellano

Trainer: Peter Miller

Owner: Gary Barber

Career record: 3 starts – 2 wins – 0 seconds – 0 thirds

Career earnings: $219,000

Earnings per start: $73,000

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 88

Kentucky Derby Points: 10

Pedigree: Dialed In – Fancier, by Bernstein

Color: Bay

Running style: Press the pace

Notable achievements and interesting facts: This California-based horse ships to Oaklawn overshadowed by Bob Baffert’s pair of contenders, but he brings his own compelling storyline to Hot Springs. Get Her Number has not been seen on the track since winning the Grade 1 American Pharoah Stakes back on Sept. 26 at Santa Anita Park, where he dueled for the lead with a longshot in the 1 1/16-mile race, dispatched that foe, and then held off a late rush from Rombauer to score by three-quarters of a length. Rombauer subsequently finished a decent fifth in the TVG Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance and then first in the El Camino Real Derby to start his 3-year-old campaign, while American Pharoah third-place finisher Spielberg won the Los Alamitos Futurity in December and then ran a good second behind champion Essential Quality in the Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn on Feb. 27. Get Her Number’s win last September may be flattered by subsequent events … but it was in September. Moreover, he earned only an 88 Equibase Speed Figure for the victory, and that will have to jump up by about 15-20 points for this son of Dialed In to have any shot at winning the Rebel Stakes off the layoff. In addition, his pace-pressing running style may be tested by speedy Caddo River and Concert Tour, both of whom should have a fitness advantage over Get Her Number. On the positive side, finishing second or third in this race would add to his Derby points total and set him up for one final try at the May 1 classic in an April prep race, be it the in Arkansas Derby or elsewhere. Jockey Javier Castellano won the 2017 Rebel aboard Malagacy and finished third last year on Basin.

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5. Twilight Blue (15-1)

Jockey: Brian Hernandez Jr.

Trainer: Joe Sharp

Owner: Carl R. Moore Management

Career record: 6 starts – 2 wins – 1 second – 1 third

Career earnings: $122,624

Earnings per start: $20,437

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 100

Kentucky Derby Points: 0

Pedigree: Air Force Blue – Lily the Pink, by Rahy

Color: Bay

Running style: Stalker

Notable achievements and interesting facts: Twilight Blue is a solid longshot contender in Saturday’s Rebel Stakes based on his overall career record and his most recent race. He fashioned a promising juvenile career last fall, winning at Churchill Downs in his second career start, finishing second to current upper-tier Derby contender Mandaloun in a seven-furlong allowance-optional claiming race at the same track, and then finishing third in the six-furlong Sugar Bowl Stakes at Fair Grounds. He began his 3-year-old campaign at Oaklawn and checked in fourth in a January sprint race but then capably handled a stretch out to 1 1/16 miles on Feb. 11 and took an allowance race by a half-length off of a stalking trip. Twilight Blue earned a 100 Equibase Speed Figure for that effort on a muddy track, which makes him competitive with most of the other Rebel starters. His pedigree is turf-oriented on both his sire’s and dam’s sides, but there’s some stamina in his family; his dam’s side includes close relatives who won the Sword Dancer Stakes and Beverly D. Stakes, both Grade 1 turf routes. Look for jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. to place Twilight Blue fourth or fifth in the backstretch and urge him into contention into the far turn. A wet track would help this colt’s chances at scoring an upset.

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6. Keepmeinmind (4-1)

Jockey: David Cohen

Trainer: Robertino Diodoro

Owners: Cypress Creek, Arnold Bennewith, and Spendthrift Farm

Career record: 4 starts – 1 win – 2 seconds – 1 third

Career earnings: $394,320

Earnings per start: $98,580

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 98

Kentucky Derby Points: 18

Pedigree: Laoban – Inclination, by Victory Gallop

Color: Bay

Running style: Closer

Notable achievements and interesting facts: This colt makes his highly anticipated 3-year-old debut Saturday after trainer Robertino Diodoro decided to bypass the Southwest Stakes after that race was rescheduled due to winter weather. He racked up 18 Kentucky Derby qualifying points as a juvenile with late-closing finishes in the Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity (second) and the TVG Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (third) before breaking his maiden in a Grade 2 stakes, the Kentucky Jockey Club, at Churchill Downs on Nov. 28 with another come-from-behind rally. He’s been based at Oaklawn Park this winter and had his training schedule interrupted by Mother Nature, but Keepmeinmind appears to be back on track with a pair of recent breezes. If Caddo River and Concert Tour hook up in a speed duel early on, it could set things up well for Keepmeinmind; whether he’s ready to run an “A” race right off the bench and capitalize is another question. Still, he’s a must-use in all exotic tickets and could post the mild upset Saturday if he has indeed improved over the winter and the early pace in the Southwest is fast enough.

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7. Concert Tour (2-1)

Jockey: Joel Rosario

Trainer: Bob Baffert

Owners: Gary and Mary West

Career record: 2 starts – 2 wins – 0 seconds – 0 thirds

Career earnings: $156,600

Earnings per start: $78,300

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 106

Kentucky Derby Points: 0

Pedigree: Street Sense – Purse Strings, by Tapit

Color: Bay

Running style: Press the pace/stalker

Notable achievements and interesting facts: Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert has won the Rebel Stakes a record seven times, and sends undefeated Concert Tour east from his California home base as a viable contender to secure win number eight on Saturday. Concert Tour did not make his first career start until Jan. 15 and easily won a six-furlong maiden race at Santa Anita Park by 3 ½ lengths. Baffert and owners Gary and Mary West next tested the colt in the Grade 2 San Vicente Stakes at seven furlongs Feb. 6 at Santa Anita, and Concert Tour held off stablemate Freedom Fighter by a half-length to win again despite drifting out in the stretch. Freedom Fighter disappointed in his next start when fourth last week in the Gotham Stakes, but Concert Tour has trained very well at Santa Anita since the San Vicente and appears to be ready to stretch out in distance and stake out a position on the Kentucky Derby leaderboard. His pedigree suggests he’ll be able to handle two turns, and his 106 Equibase Speed Figure from the San Vicente tops Saturday’s field. Overall, Concert Tour is the main threat to Caddo River in the Rebel Stakes, and look for jockey Joel Rosario to keep that front-running rival in his sights during the early stages of the race. Baffert’s Rebel wins have all come in the past 11 years: Lookin At Lucky (2010), The Factor (2011), Secret Circle (2012), Hoppertunity (2014), Triple Crown winner American Pharoah (2015), Cupid (2016), and Nadal (2020). Rosario rode Nadal to victory last year.

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8. Super Stock (6-1)

Jockey: Joe Talamo

Trainer: Steve Asmussen

Owners: Erv Woolsey and Keith Asmussen

Career record: 6 starts – 1 win – 2 seconds – 2 thirds

Career earnings: $154,762

Earnings per start: $25,794

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 93

Kentucky Derby Points: 4

Pedigree: Dialed In – Super Girlie, by Closing Argument

Color: Bay

Running style: Press the pace/stalker

Notable achievements and interesting facts: Steve Asmussen’s second Rebel Stakes entrant will be making his first start since Oct. 25, when he finished second by a half-length in the 1 1/16-mile Street Sense Stakes at Churchill Downs. He picked up two points apiece in his two prior starts to the Street Sense when third to Essential Quality in the Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity on Oct. 3 at Keeneland and third to Sittin On Go in the Iroquois Stakes Presented by Ford on Sept. 5 at Churchill. Considering he made his first three career starts last summer in sprint races, Super Stock handled the added distance in his final three 2020 starts quite well, although it’s anyone’s guess as to how he’ll run coming back off of a 4 ½-month layoff. He’s been training steadily at Fair Grounds for Hall of Famer Asmussen, who does not tax the stopwatch by working his horses fast in the mornings. Overall, this colt is worth a look as a trifecta or superfecta filler in the Rebel, but other off-the-pace types such as Keepmeimind or Super Stock’s stablemate Big Lake are more enticing as win candidates. Asmussen has won the Rebel four times: Snuck In (2000), Windward Passage (2002), Hall of Famer Curlin (2007), and Long Range Toddy (first division in 2019). Asmussen-trained Excession and Basin ran second and third, respectively, behind Nadal last year.