Latest news with #RebelsRomance
Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Breeders' Cup Three-Peat? 'Rock Star' Rebel's Romance Tallies Another Group 1
Breeders' Cup Three-Peat? 'Rock Star' Rebel's Romance Tallies Another Group 1 originally appeared on Paulick Report. Two-time Breeders' Cup Turf winner Rebel's Romance scored his eighth Group 1 success over the weekend as he carried Billy Loughnane to victory in the Grosser Preis von Berlin at Hoppegarten in Germany, reports It was the first top-level win for the 19-year-old jockey, who earned the mount when regular rider William Buick was booked to ride in France on the same Charlie Appleby marveled at Rebel's Romance's longevity: "He's seven and still doing it at that level. It was a typical Rebel's Romance win, just guts. ""Rebel's Romance is a rock star. We'll see where we go. We were toying with going to the Canadian International (on Oct. 4 at Woodbine) and that's something we will take into account, very much working back from the Breeders' Cup again." Godolphin's gelded son of Dubawi won the Breeders' Cup Turf in 2022 and 2024, and was voted the Champion Male Turf Horse of 2024 in North America. Overall, Rebel's Romance has won 19 of his 28 lifetime starts for earnings of over US$14 more at This story was originally reported by Paulick Report on Aug 11, 2025, where it first appeared.
South China Morning Post
2 days ago
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
Rebel's Romance bags another Group One as Sajir causes a huge $27 shock in France
Global sensation Rebel's Romance won his eighth Group One by regaining the Grosser Preis von Berlin (2,400m) at Hoppegarten on Sunday. Charlie Appleby's seven-year-old won four top-level races last year, - including the Group One Champions & Chater Cup (2,400m) at Sha Tin, - and has shown no signs of decline this campaign. Sent off as the $1.2 favourite after a pair of Group Two wins and a close Group One third at Ascot on his prior start, Rebel's Romance was always travelling best under Billy Loughnane and took over from long-time leader Junko 300m out. A global superstar! 💙 REBEL'S ROMANCE retains his Grosser Preis von Berlin crown in Germany to earn his eighth G1 for @godolphin. #WorldPool | @wettstar_de — World Pool (@WorldPool) August 10, 2025 That rival tried to battle back, but 2022 winner Rebel's Romance kept on strongly to win by three quarters of a length, providing 19-year-old Loughnane with his first Group One winner. 'It's a feeling I can't describe, a feeling of ecstasy. What a star of a horse. I'm very lucky to be riding in these colours and to have the opportunity to sit on a horse like this,' said Loughnane. 'He's a star of a horse. Big thanks to Will [Buick]. I spoke to him last night and he told me exactly what to do.' There was also simulcast action in France on Sunday, with Sajir causing a $27 boilover in the Group One Prix Maurice de Gheest (1,300m) at Deauville. Sajir springs a shock in the Group One Prix Maurice de Gheest! 🏆 — At The Races (@AtTheRaces) August 10, 2025 As is customary, $1.5 favourite Lazzat went to the front under James Doyle as he looked to back up his impressive Royal Ascot victory and cement himself as the best sprinter in Europe. HK Racing News Get updates direct to your inbox Sign up Best Bets Racing News By registering you agree to our T&Cs & Privacy Policy Error: Please enter a valid email. The email address is already in use. Please login to subscribe. Error, please try again later. THANK YOU You are one the list. Instead, it was Sajir who stole the show for Oisin Murphy, going from last to first to run down Lazzat and provide Andre Fabre with his first win in the race. 'This is the first time I've had him at 100 per cent,' said Fabre. 'He's always had some minor issues, but today he was in perfect condition. 'It could not be better, and Prince Faisal is a great man. He's a great breeder and a great person, so I'm delighted for him.'
Khaleej Times
25-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Khaleej Times
Godolphin's globetrotting legend Rebel's Romance chases historic King George crown
The eyes of the global racing world will turn to Ascot on Saturday, July 26, as Rebel's Romance, the most prolific horse in Godolphin's storied history, lines up in the Group 1 King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes, seeking a historic first British top-level victory to add to his glittering international résumé. The £1.5 million midsummer highlight at Ascot is not just the richest all-aged flat race in Britain; it is a battleground of champions, a race where legacies are written, and reputations either crowned or crushed. For Dubai-owned Rebel's Romance, trained by Charlie Appleby, the 2025 edition offers another chance to cement his name in the British record books. With 18 career wins, including 14 in Group company and a remarkable seven at the top level, Rebel's Romance has already secured his place in history as Godolphin's winningest horse of all time since the stable was created in 1993. His Group 1 triumphs stretch from North America to Germany, from Hong Kong to Dubai, where he stormed to victory in the 2023 Dubai Sheema Classic. And yet, one prize continues to elude him: a Group 1 victory on British soil. That could change on Saturday. Appleby Upbeat 'Rebel's Romance goes into this in great order,' said Appleby. 'There was plenty of strength in depth in this contest 12 months ago, when he ran a good race, and it looks a similarly strong renewal this time around. 'He is taking on younger opposition again, but, wherever he finishes, the others will know that they have had a race.' Indeed, Rebel's Romance ran an admirable third in last year's King George and returns to Ascot in flying form. Three wins from four starts this season include a commanding performance in the Group 2 Hardwicke Stakes over the same course and distance at Royal Ascot in June, a clear signal of his readiness. This is a race that holds special resonance for Dubai racing fans. The King George has previously been won by legendary Godolphin runners like Swain (1997 & 1998), Daylami (1999), Doyen (2004), and Adayar (2021), while other Dubai-owned stars such as Postponed and Poet's Word have added their names to the honour roll. It all began in 1988 with Mtoto, the first Dubai-connected horse to capture the race. Rebel's Romance now carries the royal blue silks into that elite company. But the road to glory won't be easy. Rival Loom Among his key rivals is heavily fancied Calandagan, representing France, who returns to Ascot off a Group 1 breakthrough in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud. Trained by Francis-Henri Graffard, the colt seeks to emulate stablemate Goliath, who won this race last year. Ireland's challenge is led by Jan Brueghel, the 2024 Coronation Cup winner and reigning St Leger champion. Only one horse, Conduit in 2009, has pulled off the rare St Leger–King George double in recent years. Trainer Aidan O'Brien strengthens his hand with Continuous, Lambourn, and Whirl - each a Group winner, each a potential spoiler. British hopes rest partly on Kalpana, the Juddmonte filly who impressed in last year's Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes, while rounding out the field is Green Impact, a lightly raced contender from Jessica Harrington's yard in Ireland. Saturday's King George is more than just a big-money clash. It's a mid-season summit of elite middle-distance talent colliding for supremacy. For Rebel's Romance, a Group 1 crown in Britain would not only be the ultimate homecoming triumph but a fitting jewel in an already glittering crown.
Daily Mail
21-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Rebel's Romance wins to end Charlie Appleby drought as wonder horse halts trainer's 37-race losing streak
Old friends are so special because they are there when you need them most. Royal Ascot had threatened to push Charlie Appleby to the brink, but then along came Rebel's Romance. 'Wonder horse' is an overused phrase but there is absolutely something wondrous — and marvellous — about Rebel's Romance, a seven-year-old with more stamps in his passports than the adventurer Simon Reeve and more money than a lottery winner. Appleby, the lead trainer for the Godolphin organisation, had not saddled a Royal Ascot winner since 2022 and when Treanmor — favourite for Saturday's opening race, the Chesham Stakes — was sunk without trace, his losing streak had reached 37 runners. There had been high-profile reverses in recent days — Ruling Court, Cinderella's Dream and Shadow Of Light — and you did not need to be a body language expert to understand Appleby and his jockey, William Buick, were feeling things before the Group Two Hardwicke Stakes. None of this mattered to Rebel's Romance, who prowled around the parade ring panther-like. He has been there and done it, having amassed 74,500 air miles to win in six different countries, from America to Hong Kong. With his pal in trouble, this gelding went out to take on the world for him. 'I've got a picture of this fellow on my bedside table,' said Appleby, a proud father of four. 'He means that much to us all.' You could see why. The Hardwicke Stakes is ferociously competitive but it was made for Rebel's Romance. When he struck the front, the kind of roar you expect at Cheltenham thundered from the stands and for all that Al Riffa and Ghostwriter snapped at his heels, they could not get past. Rebel's Romance, at one stage, clocked 42.9mph on the mile-and-a-half journey — a fraction faster than French sprinter Lazzat's top speed in the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes and he has now won more than £10 million in prize money. 'Full credit to the horse first and foremost and full credit to all the team,' said Appleby. 'It's been a tough week but that is what you expect when you come here. It's the Olympics. You can come here thinking you are fully loaded with great chances. You can walk away with excuses but that's racing. 'I would like to think we compose ourselves well, we take (defeats) on the chin and then we look forward. I was always taught from a young age, when I came into racing by His Highness Sheik Mohammed, to applaud every winner and enjoy your own. 'I know how hard it is for people to get horses here, let alone to have a winner. I would like to think I'm the first to go and congratulate everyone when they have a winner. But if you could ever rely on one, it was him. Our last race, my last roll dice. He's more than an iron horse. He's kept us afloat.' Buick was similarly overcome. The jockey, whose week had been made by winning the Prince Of Wales's Stakes on Ombudsman and Gold Cup on Trawlerman for John and Thady Gosden, has ridden Rebel's Romance in 23 of his 26 races and the bond they share is huge. 'We have won more than 10 million in prize money,' said Buick. 'He has been around the block and is a top-class racehorse. 'You don't find many top-class horses with a will to win like he has. I always say he always finds a way. We gel well together. He is my best friend.' What a tribute. Racing becomes relatable to those with a passing interest in the sport when they learn about the exploits of these grand old stagers, who turn up and never disappoint. You'll get a chance to see Rebel's Romance here next month in the King George, Ascot's mid-summer championship. It needed something special to take the headlines on the final day and Lazzat, with his high jinks after winning the Group One sprint, almost provided it as he did a lap of the course, having got rid of jockey James Doyle as they posed for photographs. Lazzat, trained by Jerome Reynier, became France's first winner of the race and a fifth of an exceptional week for Wathan Racing, the venture of Qatar's Emir. The gelding got the better of a wonderful head-to-head with Japanese raider Satono Reve. 'I could feel Satono Reve coming but you won't get a more genuine horse than Lazzat,' said Doyle, Wathnan's retained rider. 'He really pinned his ears back when he joined me, and he was always going to see him off. 'He was my banker of the week. I feel guilty because we have only bought the horse (privately from his previous owners) a couple of weeks ago, and I landed on him. A huge thank you to the whole team, a big thanks to everyone.'
Khaleej Times
21-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Khaleej Times
Rebel's Romance delivers epic Royal Ascot redemption in Appleby's last roll of the dice
They say good things come to those who wait, and for Charlie Appleby, that truth rang louder than ever at Royal Ascot on Saturday. After three years of near-misses and simmering disappointment Godolphin handler Charlie Appleby finally returned to the Royal Ascot winner's enclosure on the final day, thanks to the stable's globetrotting superstar, Rebel's Romance. In a moment dripping with drama and relief, Appleby's last roll of the dice became a royal flush. The master of Moulton Paddocks struck gold in the Group 2 Hardwicke Stakes, an elite middle-distance test run over 2400m, and a fitting finale to a week of drama. This was Appleby's first winner at the Royal meeting since Naval Crown landed the Platinum Jubilee Stakes in 2022. After watching 11 runners fall short throughout the week, it was his 12th and final shot, and a magical horse to deliver it. Rebel's Romance, already a living legend in blue silks with seven Group 1 victories, confirmed his status as one of the finest ever to represent Godolphin, producing a powerful performance under William Buick to leave rivals trailing. It was the cherry on top of an already glittering career, and perhaps his most meaningful win yet. The seven-year-old gelded son of Godolphin's prized stallion, Dubawi, surged clear two furlongs from home, igniting a roar from the fans as he hit the front. Irish raider Al Riffa tried to close the gap under a strong ride from Dylan McMonagle, but the outcome was never in doubt. Rebel's Romance cemented his legacy as a Godolphin great and gave his team a moment they'll never forget. 'We had one more roll of the dice - and what a partner,' said a visibly emotional Buick after the race. 'He's a dream horse, and any jockey that is fortunate in their career to have a horse like Rebel's Romance is blessed, and I'm blessed.' 'He travels the world, he's recognised everywhere, he's won more than £10 million in prize money and he's a top-class racehorse. You don't find many with a will to win like he has. I always say he finds a way. He's my best friend.' Speaking to Sky Sports Racing, Appleby didn't hold back in his praise either. 'What more can I say about this horse?' said the Derby-winning handler. 'He's been a huge credit to the team back home. When it's your last roll of the dice, he's the horse you need. He's more than our Iron Horse - he's kept our yard afloat this week. He's our stable favourite and always will be.' 'He's a worldwide superstar. Full credit to the horse first and foremost, and to the team. It's been a tough week, but that's what you expect when you come here. It's the Olympics.' And like the Olympics, triumph at Royal Ascot is often fleeting and often brutally difficult to grasp. 'You can come here fully loaded and walk away with excuses, that's racing,' added Appleby. 'I was taught from a young age to applaud every winner and enjoy your own. I know how hard it is just to get a horse here, let alone to win.' And what a horse this is. Rebel's Romance has now amassed 13 Group wins, including seven at Group 1 level, across five countries: the USA, Germany, Hong Kong, the UAE and now the UK. His 18 career victories make him the most prolific horse in the royal blue silks, clear of Anamoe (14) and Lemon Pop (13).
