The countdown to the Run for the Roses continues with the 2025 Rebel Stakes on Sunday. This Kentucky Derby prep race at Oaklawn Park awards points on a scale of 50-25-15-10-5, so the competition will be fierce in the 14-horse 2025 Rebel Stakes field. Bob Baffert could win his ninth Rebel Stakes with Madaket Road, while Southwest Stakes winner Speed King could snag a second straight victory en route to Churchill Downs on Saturday, May 3. Post time for the Rebel Stakes 2025 is 6:23 p.m. ET. Sandman is the 4-1 favorite in the 2025 Rebel Stakes odds, followed by Madaket Road (9-2), Bullard (5-1) and Speed King (6-1). With talented 3-year-olds set to enter the starting gate on Sunday, you’ll want to see what Santa Anita-based racing reporter and insider Michelle Yu has to say before making any 2025 Rebel Stakes picks.
Few people in racing are as well-connected as Yu. An on-air host and reporter who has provided racing analysis for TVG, HRTV and the Breeders’ Cup, Yu has spent a lifetime in racing. Prior to her television career, she worked for trainers Steve Asmussen and Ron Moquett. She also is married to Santa Anita-based trainer Ryan Hanson.
Yu also has tremendous handicapping chops. In a wide-open Kentucky Derby in 2021, she gave out Medina Spirit, who crossed the finish line first, as the winner at 12-1. In Pool 5 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager two years ago, she suggested a play on All Other 3-Year-Olds, which cashed at a whopping 18-1 when Rich Strike won the Derby.
Last year, Yu correctly called National Treasure to win the Pegasus World Cup, predicted Stronghold’s upset win in the Santa Anita Derby and smashed the exacta in the Apple Blossom Handicap. On the Belmont Stakes undercard, she nailed National Treasure’s win in the Met Mile, and had the winner and exacta in the Woody Stephens Stakes. She closed out the year by hitting the exacta in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. Â
Now, Yu has handicapped the 2025 Rebel Stakes lineup, made her picks and constructed her best bets. You can head to SportsLine now to see them.
Top 2025 Rebel Stakes predictions
One surprise: Yu is high Speed King, even though he is an underdog at 6-1. This son of Volatile has two wins and one second-place finish in three career races. He kicked off his career with a sprint victory at Churchill Downs on Nov. 1 and narrowly took second at Remington Park the following month. However, he is already on pace to be in the 2025 Kentucky Derby field after an upset victory in the Southwest Stakes on Jan. 25.
In his last race, Speed King took an early lead as a 14-1 long shot and expanded in the final turn for a clear win. He bested Sandman, Tiztastic and Publisher, all of which will be in the 2025 Rebel Stakes field. You can see all of Yu’s 2025 Rebel Stakes bets here.
How to make 2025 Rebel Stakes picks
Yu is especially high on a longshot who is “not a complete outsider at double-digit odds.” She is including this horse in her 2025 Rebel Stakes bets, and so should you. She’s sharing which horses to back at SportsLine.
So who wins the 2025 Rebel Stakes? And how has Yu constructed her wagers? Visit SportsLine to see Yu’s picks for the Rebel Stakes 2025, all from the Santa Anita-based racing insider who nailed the Breeders’ Cup Classic, and find out.Â