Rebel’s Romance aims to grab G1 Joe Hirsch glory

America’s reigning Champion Male Turf Horse Rebel’s Romance makes his first stateside appearance of 2025 as he lines up alongside El Cordobes in the G1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic at Aqueduct on Saturday.

Rebel’s Romance was honoured at the 2024 Eclipse Awards after becoming the first horse to win non-consecutive renewals of the G1 Breeders’ Cup Turf, with the son of Dubawi gamely edging out Rousham Park at Del Mar in November to add to his 2022 success in the race.

With a career record of 19 wins from 28 career starts, including eight G1 victories, Rebel’s Romance has established himself as the most successful Godolphin horse of all time.

He makes a second appearance in the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic having finished fourth on yielding ground two years ago – a defeat that formed part of a luckless 2023 campaign for the Charlie Appleby-trained veteran.

Rebel’s Romance bounced back to form in 2024, winning five of his six races, and has continued in a similar fashion this season with victories in Qatar’s G3 H H The Amir Trophy, the G2 Yorkshire Cup, the G2 Hardwicke Stakes and the G1 Grosser Preis von Berlin.

Stablemate El Cordobes brings a progressive profile into the race, having cosily beaten Rebel Red and Nations Pride on his US debut in the G1 Sword Dancer Stakes at Saratoga in August.

That victory came on the back of another impressive win in the G2 Princess Of Wales’s Stakes at Newmarket in July, in which the Frankel four-year-old scored decisively over subsequent G3 Nashville Derby winner Wimbledon Hawkeye.

Appleby said: “Rebel’s Romance and El Cordobes travelled over well and have settled in nicely at Saratoga, where they both had a pop round on Monday. We have Frankie Dettori on Rebel’s Romance and John Velazquez on El Cordobes, so they have a significant combined age, but we hope their experience comes into play.

“Rebel’s Romance was beaten in this race a couple of years ago, when the rain came and the ground went against him, and we are hoping for a decent surface this weekend. He looks in great nick and a repeat of any of his performances this year should be good enough to see him win.

“El Cordobes has significantly younger legs and we felt he deserved a chance against some slightly more established 12-furlong horses following his Sword Dancer win. We are looking forward to seeing how he runs against Rebel’s Romance and finding out whether he can slot himself into a Breeders’ Cup Turf.”

Last season’s G2 Pat Day Mile runner-up Nash steps back up to seven furlongs on the same card for the G3 Vosburgh Stakes.

The Medaglia d’Oro colt lost all chance after being squeezed early on in the G2 Alfred G Vanderbilt Handicap at Saratoga in mid-July, having won allowance optional claimers at Turfway Park and Churchill Downs earlier in the year.

Michael Banahan, Director of Bloodstock, Godolphin USA, said: “Nash has had a nice break since his last run in the Vanderbilt and Brad says he is training super.”