Rebel’s Romance scored its first Breeders’ Cup Turf in 2022. (Courtney Snow/Past The Wire)
About Rebel’s romance and remarkable speech
A closer look at Breeders’ Cup
What Rebel’s Romance taught Appleby about training: “What has he taught me in training? Resilience. Certain people have asked me what makes him that special horse in Godolphin’s rich history of such great horses, and that is to see a 7-year-old still winning Group 1 and not just in certain jurisdictions; he has done it all over the world. People can say he is well placed, but I would like to think he is placed to win. Whether well placed or not, he is ready in Britain, America, Hong Kong, Dubai, Qatar and Germany. Unfortunately he left the UK without a win in Group 1, but what he showed by winning the Hardwicke (G2) at Royal Ascot and in the Yorkshire Cup (G2) was something great for the English fans and racegoers to see what he does so well
Rating his Turf competition: “We are fully aware that there will be young legs in the race and Minnie Hauk (IRE) is clearly the most respected of all given what she has achieved at that level. That said, those who want to row against him a bit, good luck to them. He has been there and he has done it and I can assure you that when he walks around the paddock there will not be a better example of a racehorse walking around in terms of his physique and what he has achieved on the track. And if they put him on the track encounter, they will know they have had a race. He will not lie down there easily.
Why he was originally neutered, as he is impeccably bred and looks good: “To be honest, he was a bit of a character, which is a big part of the family. We have his full brother at the moment, a 2-year-old, and he’s probably doing a good job of holding his (testicles), but I have to hold the fire. Ultimately, I’m a big believer that you can leave them for a painting or you can leave them for a racehorse. Sometimes the cruelest cut is the best cut. Had we not done that; he wouldn’t be there today to secure a third Breeders’ Cup Turf.”
To put the attempted third Turf into perspective: “He deserves to get on with it. I couldn’t leave this horse behind. If you saw him at home and the enthusiasm he shows, I would have been sick of leaving him at home (at Moulton Paddocks in Newmarket, UK). He’s in the state of his life – I’m convinced – and if he achieves it, that’s what he deserves. I’m lucky that I can basically piggyback on him, and it would be great to race, great for the horse and great for the Breeders’ Cup. He’s had a lot of success in America, and I think he has his well-deserved fan base behind him.”
Assessment of his disappointing run in the King George (which finished third), including a tough trip: “That’s racing, and I’ve seen enough of it now, but I think in any sport you have to realize that you’re not always going to get the green and that’s what happened at the King George where he got boxed in there, but that’s the name of the game. Let’s hope we have a little bit of luck around Del Mar.”
Globetrotting REBEL’S ROMANCE leads the Godolphin string to the Turf course. pic.twitter.com/RRByd7QLz9
— Breeders Cup (@BreedersCup) October 29, 2025
On his Joe Hirsch Turf Classic (G1) win last: “Being who he is, he goes in there after a nice win in the Joe Hirsch, a race we would have wanted to win ourselves, and most importantly he came out on fast ground. He previously won in Germany in his final preparations before winning the last two Breeders’ Cup Turfs (2022 and 2024), but unfortunately the ground conditions weren’t right for us to do that again, so he went to New York and did what he did. He’s come out of the race. very good.”
Thoughts on drawing post 1: “Tactically, he’s versatile and I didn’t care where he was put. It seems like there’s pace on paper at the moment, but you never know until the race happens. I tend not to overcomplicate things and think about it before the race. From that draw you’d like to blast and get ahead, but we’ll just have to see how it goes.”
About notable speech:
His form this year compared to last year: “He had a long campaign as a 3-year-old because he didn’t race at 2 and he started his season in January. We learned about the horse ourselves and we know what he is now. He’s a fast horse that can get faster and has tremendous acceleration. That’s why I was keen to take him to Woodbine for a race like the Woodbine Mile (G1) because he ticks all those boxes. I wanted to take him through those corners and give him valuable experience coming into this weekend.
As for his last two runs, a nose-second when he topped the French Prix Jacques le Marois (G1) at Deauville and an easy win in the Canadian Woodbine Mile (G1) at Woodbine: “As I said to William (Buick), there will be critics if you don’t win and you should win, but with that I told him before the race in Deauville that he is a horse that you have to ride cold and show him that finish. And of course the critics were there because we were not with our heads in front. Ultimately, if you show this horse what he is capable of, he has great acceleration and running style, but you have to do that. I am very lucky. Unfortunately he did not succeed in France, but he didn’t need that much luck at Woodbine, but he’ll need a lot of luck on Saturday.”
About the strategy from post 2: “He’s got a nice box, but he’s going to have to take advantage of that too and he can’t take a step slow out of the gate. But that said, the other thing is he’s the kind of horse where, if you’re too close and in second place and suddenly the speed collapses in front of you, the last place you want to turn is in the lead. I’d rather have him running at them instead of them running at us.”
Comparing him to his previous trio of Mile winners: “He looks more like a Space Blues (IRE) model of Dubawi (IRE), as opposed to Modern Games (IRE) or Master of The Seas (IRE). He travels for fun and has a lot of speed.” —Charlie Appleby
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