Norman Stables’ Coal Battle (Coal Front) scored one for the little guy Sunday at Oaklawn Park, overtaking pacesetting California invader Madaket Road (Quality Road) in upper stretch and leaving favored Sandman (Tapit) in his wake while striding home a 1 1/4-length winner of the GII Rebel Stakes. Sandman, who famously broke in a tangle before finishing a valiant second in the GIII Southwest Stakes a month ago, had most of the eyes on him as he broke professionally Sunday, but was unhurried and settled well off the pace as Madaket Road assumed the early lead. The field was strung out down the backstretch as the 5-1 shot powered through fractions of :22.47 and :45.72 with Coal Battle settled some 10 lengths back in fifth. Madaket Road was still clear nearing the stretch, but Coal Battle was moving swiftly to engage the pacesetter at the top of the lane. He put that stubborn foe away in deep stretch and was pulling away to the wire. Sandman, well back early, worked his way through traffic on the far turn, tipped to the center of the track at the top of the lane and was closely powerfully late, but had to settle for third.

“My plan was just to follow the leaders,” winning rider Juan Vargas said. “At the three-eighths pole, I began to move and he just took off. He responded. I was so happy with that. I knew I had horse, but [Madaket Road] just kept running.”

“At the sixteenth pole, my horse started to put his neck in front and I knew I had more horse today and he ran well to the finish line,” Vargas said. “It’s the best race he’s ever run. The field was stronger than his previous races, for sure. There were some nice horses, horses that can run. He showed that he can run, too.”

The Rebel’s 50 Kentucky Derby qualifying points catapulted Coal Battle, who was winning his fourth straight race and third points race, to the top of the

GI Kentucky Derby leader board with 70 total points.

“[Vargas] had him in perfect position and he moved him at the right time,” said 72-year-old winning trainer Lonnie Briley. “He ran big. He opened up on the field and he caught the lead horse and went by him. What can I say? You couldn’t ask for more.”

Madaket Road chased home stablemate and champion Citizen Bull (Into Mischief) when third last time out in the Feb. 1

GIII Robert B. Lewis Stakes. Irad Ortiz, Jr., aboard the runner-up, was happy with the pacesetter’s effort Sunday.

“That was the plan [to go to the lead],” Ortiz said. “I was so close [to stealing it]. He was running down the lane, but that other horse was coming. I’m happy. My horse ran a big race.”

Cristian Torres, aboard Sandman, saw plenty to be optimistic about the third-place finisher’s future.

“We had the trip we wanted,” Torres said. “They were definitely flying around. They were rolling. When I asked him, he was there for me. We had to go wide on the [second] turn because when we started making our move, the horses in front of me were just stopping. I had to go wide, but he made his move. He shows up every time. Definitely, the longer the better for him.”

A debut winner at Evangeline Downs last July, he was off-the-board in a pair of turf appearances in Kentucky before returning to the dirt to win the Nov. 8 Jean Lafitte Stakes at Delta Downs. He added a half-length win over Southwest winner Speed King (Volatile) in the Dec. 13 Springboard Mile at Remington Park before opening 2025 with a four-length win over the Rebel’s track and trip in the Jan. 4 Smarty Jones Stakes.

The Rebel won pushed Coal Battle’s career earnings over the $1-million mark, prompting reader Lance Schulz to observe, “Coal Battle becomes a sixth generation millionaire (Seattle Slew-A.P. Indy-Bernardini-Stay Thirsty-Coal Front-Coal Battle).”

Pedigree Note:

Coal Battle is the first graded winner for his sire, Coal Front, who stands at Red River Farms and has been represented by five stakes winners to date. Coal Front scored his own graded victory over the Oaklawn surface, having won the 2019 GIII Razorback H., as well as that year’s G2 Godolphin Mile and the 2017 GII Amsterdam S.

Coal Battle is the first foal out of his stakes-placed dam, Wolfblade. The mare has a 2-year-old colt by Goldencents, who was purchased by another of Robbie Norman’s trainers, Jayde Gelner, for $17,000 at the 2024 TTA yearling sale. She was bred to Frosted last year.

Trainer Lonnie Briley acquired Coal Battle on behalf of Norman for $70,000 at the 2023 TTA yearling sale, while Gelner picked up now six-time stakes winner Secret Faith (Aurelius Maximus) for $75,000 for the owner at that same auction. Both sophomores were bred by Hume Wornall and Jay Adcock.

Sunday, Oaklawn Park
REBEL S.-GII, $1,250,000, Oaklawn, 2-23, 3yo, 1 1/16m, 1:43.01, ft.
1–COAL BATTLE, 122, c, 3, by Coal Front
                1st Dam: Wolfblade (SP, $143,465), by Midshipman
                2nd Dam: Venice Queen, by Latent Heat
                3rd Dam: Running Creek, by Cape Town
1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($70,000 Ylg ’23 TTAYRL). O-Norman Stables LLC; B-Hume Wornall & Jay Adcock (KY); T-Lonnie Briley; J-Juan P. Vargas. $735,000. Lifetime Record: 7-5-0-0, $1,188,875. Werk Nick Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus* Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Madaket Road, 117, c, 3, Quality Road–Frolic’s Dream, by Smoke Glacken. ($650,000 Ylg ’23 FTSAUG). O-SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables LLC, Dianne Bashor, Determined Stables, Robert E. Masterson, Tom J. Ryan, Waves Edge Capital LLC and Catherine Donovan; B-SF Bloodstock LLC (KY); T-Bob Baffert. $245,000.
3–Sandman, 119, c, 3, Tapit–Distorted Music, by Distorted Humor. ($1,200,000 2yo ’24 OBSMAR). O-D. J. Stable LLC, St. Elias Stable, West Point Thoroughbreds and CJ Stables; B-Lothenbach Stables Inc (KY); T-Mark E. Casse. $122,500.
Margins: 1 1/4, HF, 2. Odds: 11.90, 5.90, 2.50.
Also Ran: Publisher, Tiztastic, Admiral Dennis, Hypnus, Brereton’s Baytown, Dreaminblue, Speed King, Hot Gunner, Innovator, Smoken Wicked. Scratched: Bullard.
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

Coal Battle wants to go to Louisville! He grabs 50 Kentucky Derby points in the G2 Rebel! 🌹

Lonnie Briley trains the 3YO colt and Juan Vargas was aboard!

Four wins in a row for Coal Battle! 🌟

🎥 TwinSpiresReplay pic.twitter.com/PAGvJdRIFF

— TwinSpires Racing 🏇 (@TwinSpires) February 23, 2025