|11.27.2022|1:19am
Renegade Rebel, with Rafael Hernandez up, wins the G3 Mazarine for juvenile fillies
Renegade Rebel broke on top, showed the way throughout, and had just enough left in the tank to take top prize in the $150,900 Mazarine Stakes (G3) Saturday at Woodbine.
The 1 1/16-mile main track event attracted a field of five 2-year-old fillies, including D. J. Stable LLC’s Renegade Rebel, a daughter of Nyquist bred by Shadwell Farm LLC, and trained by Mark Casse.
Renegade Rebel was put on the front end just off the rail by Rafael Hernandez, while Honor D Lady and Collect Dattt followed in second and third, respectively. State of Mind was positioned fourth and Ryder Ryder Ryder, who broke in the air, sat last.
Ahead by 1 ½ lengths after an opening panel reached in :25.09, Renegade Rebel was two clear after a half :49.60, and then began to stretch her lead through three-quarters in 1:13.06, leaving her four rivals with plenty of work to do.
On top by three lengths at Robert Geller’s stretch call, Renegade Rebel, making her stakes debut, then saw her lead shrink considerably, as both Ryder Ryder Ryder and Honor D Lady came running late, but ultimately ran out of real estate.
At the wire, Renegade Rebel was a neck winner, while stablemate Ryder Ryder Ryder bested Honor D Lady by three-quarters of a length for the runner-up spot.
The final time was 1:44.80.
“First of all, I thought she was getting tired,” said Hernandez. “When the other ones were coming, she kept going. It looked like she was kind of waiting. After the wire, I could not pull her up. I had to go up to the outrider to get me pulled over.”
It was the second straight triumph for the Kentucky-bred gray, who broke her maiden last time out via a seven-length score in a 1 1/16-mile race over the Woodbine Tapeta on October 29.
“The maturity is starting to kick in better,” Hernandez said. “She was more relaxed. You can tell today. The pace was more relaxed. Everything worked out perfect for us.”
A $700,000 purchase from Eisaman Equine at the OBS Spring Two-Year-Olds in Training Sale in April, Renegade Rebel, now 2-1-1 from five starts, paid $4.30 for the win. Her dam is the Hard Spun mare Hasilah.
