Trainer Bob Baffert has made no secret that he believes his top two candidates for this year’s Kentucky Derby are Life Is Good and Concert Tour. The former dominated his rivals in the Grade 2 San Felipe Stakes at Baffert’s home base at Santa Anita on March 6 while the Hall of Fame trainer sent Concert Tour on the road to Oaklawn in Hot Springs, Ark., for Saturday’s Grade 2, $1-million Rebel Stakes.
Concert Tour,, a 3-year-old colt by Street Sense, turned in a powerful performance at Oaklawn going straight to the front and seizing the lead from the Brad Cox-trained favorite, Caddo River, setting all the fractions and then drawing off down the stretch under Joel Rosario to win by 4 1/4 lengths. A second Baffert runner, Hozier, finished second, with Big Lake three-quarters of a length back in third, 1 1/2 lengths ahead of Super Stock in fourth. Caddo River, coming off a 10 1/4-length victory in the opening day Smarty Jones Stakes at Oaklawn, wound up another neck back in fifth while racing erratically down the stretch after chasing Concert Tour throughout.
Time of the race was 1:43.18 after fractions of :23.42, :47.53, 1:12.00 and 1:36.65.
The win was Baffert’s eighth in the Rebel since 2010.
Bred and owned by Gary and Mary West (who also bred Life Is Good, who is campaigned by WinStar Farm and CHC Inc.), Concert Tour paid $5.40 as the second choice in the betting. He earned 50 qualifying points for the Kentucky Derby, which offered 20-10-4 to the second through fourth-place finishers.
Concert Tour didn’t debut until Jan. 15, winning a six-furlong maiden race by 3 1/2 lengths. He came back to win the G2 San Vicente Stakes on Feb. 6, coming from just off the pace to catch stablemate Freedom Fighter in the final furlong to win by a half length. The Rebel was his first try around two turns.
Baffert put three strong workouts into Concert Tour at Santa Anita following the San Vicente, capped off by a best of morning six furlongs in 1:11 2/5 on March 6.
Concert Tour and Joel Rosario established an early lead ahead of Caddo River into the first turn
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