Vorticity Eying Rebel Stakes

The long-range forecast is for Vorticity, runner-up in two graded stakes in New York last month, to run in the $900,000 Rebel Stakes (gr. II) March 19 at Oaklawn Park, trainer Chuck Lawrence said. 

 

Second in the Jan. 2 Jerome (gr. III) and Jan. 30 Withers (gr. III), both on the inner track at Aqueduct Racetrack, the son of Distorted Humor   is pointing for the 1 1/16-mile Rebel, the final major local prep for the $1 million Arkansas Derby (gr. I) April 16.

 

Vorticity would represent the first Oaklawn starter for Lawrence, who is based at Fair Hill Training Center in Maryland.

 

"He's run his best race, we think, on the outer track at Aqueduct," Lawrence said. "The inner track's been deeper. The outer track is similar to (Oaklawn) towards the end of March."

 

Before running second in the Jerome and Withers, Vorticity broke his maiden by 2 3/4 lengths Nov. 8 over Aqueduct's main dirt surface—roughly a month before the winterized inner track opened—and won the Marylander Stakes Dec. 5 at Laurel Park. Both victories were at seven furlongs.

 

Lawrence said he plans to ship Vorticity to Oaklawn either March 14 or March 15.

 

Bred in Kentucky by Upson Downs Farm and Winstar Farm, Vorticity is out of multiple graded stakes winner Tar Heel Mom and owned by Matt Schera, who purchased the colt for $220,000 at Fasig-Tipton's Midlantic 2-year-olds in training sale last May. Schera won last year's Razorback Handicap (gr. III) and Oaklawn Handicap (gr. II) at Oaklawn with Race Day  , trained by Todd Pletcher.

 

Schera grew up near Reading, Pa., about an hour northwest of Philadelphia, and graduated from Penn State in 1998 with a degree in atmospheric sciences. He spent six years working as a meteorologist for two companies (AccuWeather and Constellation Energy) before moving into commodities trading. "Vorticity" is the measure of the amount of spin in the atmosphere at a specified level.

 

Also pointing for the Rebel are Suddenbreakingnews, American Dubai, and Discreetness, the 1-3-7 finishers, respectively, in the Southwest Stakes (gr. III). The trainers of Whitmore (Ron Moquett of Hot Springs) and Siding Spring (Mark Casse), second and fifth, respectively, in the Southwest have said they are leaning toward running in the Rebel.

 

Unbeaten Dazzling Gem (2-for-2 at the current Oaklawn meeting) is pointing for the Rebel, trainer Brad Cox said.