A jockey's split-second decision in the heat of battle often spells the difference between victory and defeat.
Off the track, a jockey sometimes must choose which horse to ride in a major race -- say yes to one, in the words of the Lovin Spoonful, and let the other one ride.
In the case of the Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn Park, Luis Saez guessed correctly, reaping the benefits when undefeated Magnum Moon romped by 3 1/2 lengths Saturday in the Grade 2 $900,000 Kentucky Derby prep.
It was a tough call, Magnum Moon or Sporting Chance. How does one pick between a lightly raced colt trained by two-time Derby winner Todd Pletcher or a Grade 1 winner trained by Hall of Famer and our-time Derby champion Wayne Lukas.
"We (he and his agent) took like two weeks to make that decision," Saez said. "I always thought this horse was going to be a good horse. I love Sporting Chance; he's a very good horse. But we decide to ride him today and he proved he's a good horse."
Magnum Moon, after two starts in Florida, justified Saez' faith during the mile-and-sixteenth Rebel, the Malibu Moon colt's stakes debut. Pressing the pace into the second turn, the bay colt moved smartly into second place before taking command at the head of the stretch. Magnum Moon widened his lead by one length down the lane, Saez changing whip hands, and stopped the timer in 1:42.68, paying $8 to win as the 3-1 second choice.
"He broke good and was in the right spot," Saez said. "When he came to the stretch, he just kept running and never stopped."
Solomini, shipping east for his delayed 3-year-old debut, finished second by a head, denying Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert his seventh Rebel victory in nine years. The Curlin colt went off 11-10 favorite in his first start since disqualified from a Grade 1 win in California, earlier placing second to maiden Good Magic in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile.
"The road is a tough place to learn what you've got," said longtime Baffert aide Jimmy Barnes, who saddled Solomini.
Magnum Moon earned 50 points and Solomini 20 toward a possible May 5 start in the 144th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs. Combatant (10 points) and pacesetter Title Ready (5 points), both trained by Hall of famer Steve Asmussen, completed the superfecta.
Fifth was Sporting Chance, last year's Hopeful Stakes winner at Saratoga but in danger of missing the Derby after a second-straight loss in his 3-year-old season. Magnum Moon won his second race in Florida, a mile-and-40-yard allowance at Tampa Bay Downs, before Sporting Chance, under Saez, placed a troubled third in Oaklawn's Grade 3 $900,000 Southwest Stakes.
Zing Zang, High North, Higher Power, Pryor and Curlin's Honor completed the order of finish in the Rebel with Bode's Maker a late scratch.
Winning owners Robert and Lawana Low, longtime Oaklawn patrons from Springfield, Mo., earned $540,000, almost twice what they paid for Magnum Moon in a 2016 yearling sale.
"We were confident, but nervous," said Robert Low, who runs the Prime Inc. trucking firm. "He got the job done. Todd is very organized. We knew we had him ready for the race."
Sports on 03/18/2018