The extraordinary Rebel's Romance, a 7-year-old Godolphin homebred who keeps racking up frequent-flyer miles, scored his first win in New York with a victory in the Sept. 27 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Stakes (G1T) on an unseasonably warm fall afternoon at Aqueduct Racetrack.
The globetrotting son of Dubawi made two prior trips to the Empire State without success, but there was no doubt Saturday who held the upper hand in the 1 1/2-mile inner turf race. Ridden by Frankie Dettori for the first time in his 29-race career, Rebel's Romance stalked the early pace set by Redistricting through an opening quarter-mile in :24.78 over a course labeled as firm. As the five-horse field went by the stands for the first time, the eventual 3 1/2-length winner had taken the lead through a half-mile in :49.26, an advantage for which he never was seriously challenged.
Following fractions of 1:13.75, 1:38.69, and 2:02.50, Rebel's Romance, the 3-5 favorite, completed the distance in 2:25.72. He returned $3.28.
Redistricting stayed on for second, a neck ahead of Godolphin's El Cordobes in third. Far Bridge, last year's winner of the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic, finished fourth, and was followed by Rebel Red.
Rebel's Romance will try to make history at Del Mar in the Nov. 1 Breeders' Cup Turf (G1T) by becoming the first three-time winner of the race. He accounted for wins in the 2022 and 2024 runnings, first at Keeneland and last year at Del Mar.
Trained by Charlie Appleby, Rebel's Romance was saddled by the trainer's assistant, Alex Merriam, who said his boss would have liked to be in New York for the race but had a busy day with runners at Newmarket Racecourse in England. Appleby and William Buick, Rebel's Romance regular rider, teamed up at Newmarket to win the Middle Park Stakes (G1) with Godolphin's Wise Approach.
"Charlie had said to (Dettori), 'If someone wants to go forward, you go forward. If they're not going a gallop, let him (have it).' Obviously, they went decent enough fractions to start it and when they tried to slow it up, Frankie said he let him stride on. He's obviously a lovely, big horse, he's got a big stride on him—there's no point in holding him back. He just grinds it out and as you saw turning (for home), he gallops away. He's a proper horse."
Dettori said he spoke to both Appleby and Buick before the race.
"I said to (Appleby), 'There is not a great deal of pace.' Then (Buick) said, 'Look, it is better if he's got something to aim at, but if they go too slow, you do your own thing.' They gave me free rein."
Rebel's Romance entered the $485,000 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic off an Aug. 10 victory in the Grosser Preis von Berlin (G1) in Germany. Earlier in the year, the gelding won the Hardwicke Stakes (G2) at Royal Ascot; the Yorkshire Cup Stakes (G2) at York Racecourse, and the H.H. The Amir Trophy Stakes (G3) at Doha in Qatar.
Merriam said that Rebel's Romance would return home to England Sept. 28 and be trained there before heading to Southern California for the World Championships.
Rebel's Romance's earnings now stand at a remarkable $14,446,477 from a record of 20-0-2 in 29 starts.
Sire Dubawi stands at Darley's Dalham Stud in Newmarket where his 2025 fee was £350,000. Rebel's Romance is out of the Street Cry mare Minidress.
