Rebel split into 2 sections

[JolyB]

Since we will be using Oaklawn as our contest venue on Saturday, the following article might be of interest:

"Jennifer Hoyt, media relations manager for Oaklawn Park, said track officials agreed Tuesday evening to run multiple divisions even if entries didn't reach the previously announced magic number of 20 horses. They wound up with 19 total.

Hoyt said the split was made regardless "out of consideration for the horsemen and the fans."

The Rebel originally carried a $1 million purse and awarded Derby qualifying points on a 50-20-10-5 scale. Now, the flights will run with separate $750,000 purses, and the races will award 75 percent of the original points, on a 37.5, 15, 7.5 and 3.75 scale to the Top 4 finishers.

Horses with common connections were split -- that means unbeaten Bob Baffert-trained 3-year-olds Game Winner and Improbable won't face one another -- and others were sorted randomly into a flight"

What a great act of sportsmanship, or perhaps very enlightened business, on the part of Oaklawn's management.

Full entries for Saturday should be available later this afternoon.

The 1 1/16-mile Rebel tops a card with two other noteworthy stakes, the Azeri (G2) for older fillies and mares expected to include Grade 1 winners Elate, Midnight Bisou, Shamrock Rose and Eskimo Kisses; and the Essex Handicap led by veteran Giant Expectations