53RD REBEL STAKES

In distance they trust

Trainer banks on Bill’s ability to run two turns

Treasury Bill, a son of 1999 Belmont Stakes winner Lemon Drop Kid, is making his first start beyond 7 furlongs in today’s Rebel Stakes at 1 1/16th miles. “With his pedigree it sure gets a little exciting thinking about when he does go around two turns,” trainer Ron Ellis said.
Treasury Bill, a son of 1999 Belmont Stakes winner Lemon Drop Kid, is making his first start beyond 7 furlongs in today’s Rebel Stakes at 1 1/16th miles. “With his pedigree it sure gets a little exciting thinking about when he does go around two turns,” trainer Ron Ellis said.

HOT SPRINGS - This is one Treasury Bill trainer Ron Ellis said he hopes matures quickly.

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Oaklawn Park

Treasury Bill (left), with exercise rider Bobby Warren aboard, is led out to the track by Glenn Brookfield on Friday at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs. Both work for trainer Al Stall but were helping Ron Ellis, Treasury Bill’s trainer.

Lightly raced Treasury Bill is scheduled to make his twoturn debut in the $600,000 Grade II Rebel Stakes for 3-year-olds today at Oaklawn Park, a 1 1/16-mile race that anchors an 11-race program on what figures to be the second-biggest business day of the meeting.

Appetizers for a crowd possibly approaching 40,000 include champion My Miss Aurelia facing local standout Don’t Tell Sophia in the $150,000 Grade III Azeri Stakes for older fillies and mares, the annual boat and truck giveaway, and the inaugural “The Park Within The Park” infield promotion.

But the main course is scheduled be served at 5:48 p.m.

The 53rd Rebel, which will award 50 points to the winner under the new Kentucky Derby eligibility system, has lured a field of 11, including shippers from both coasts.

One of those invaders is Treasury Bill, a chestnut son of 1999 Belmont Stakes winner Lemon Drop Kid who has a 1-1-1 record in three lifetime starts for owners Gary and Mary West.

“I’ve always liked him, but I didn’t really think he would show much until I did stretch him out around two turns,” Ellis said during training hours Friday morning.

Treasury Bill enters the Rebel off a runner-up finish - beaten a length going 7 furlongs - in the $150,000 Grade II San Vicente Stakes on Feb. 17 at Santa Anita in suburban Los Angeles.

Ellis said he’s been itching to send Treasury Bill around two turns and called the Rebel a good spot for the Kentucky Derby prospect to audition.

“There hasn’t really been an opportunity to do that yet,” Ellis said. “We’ve kind of built him up to it, but with his pedigree it sure gets a little exciting thinking about when he does go around two turns.”

Regular rider Joe Talamo has the mount on Treasury Bill, who is scheduled to break from post 2. Ellis said he expects Treasury Bill’s race strategy to be pretty straightforward, with Talamo keeping the colt 5 or 6 lengths off the early pace.

“He’s not as slow as he looks like on his form,” Ellis said. “We’ve purposely taken him back in his races and just kind of let him run the last part of it. He certainly isn’t going to be up vying for contention, but he’s not going to be as far back as he was in a couple of his other races.”

Ellis said his decision to take Treasury Bill on the road was based on the Wests also owning Flashback, a highly regarded Kentucky Derby prospect trained by Bob Baffert.

Flashback suffered his first career loss in last Saturday’s $300,000 Grade II San Felipe Stakes at Santa Anita, which, like the Rebel, is 1 1/16 miles.

“They didn’t want them to bump together,” Ellis said of the Wests, who also campaigned Rockamundo, upset winner of the 1993 Arkansas Derby. “They thought it made more sense to split them up. This was the most sensible race in his schedule to get him on a Derby trail.”

The Wests purchased Treasury Bill for $230,000 as a yearling.

Treasury Bill broke his maiden Jan. 27 at Santa Anita after finishing third behind another Baffert trainee (War Academy) in his Nov. 9 career debut at Hollywood Park in suburban Los Angeles,

Both those races were at 6 1/2 furlongs.

Ellis had planned to send Treasury Bill long in his second career start, but ditched the plan after the colt became sick three weeks after his career debut.

Treasury Bill finally gets his two-turn opportunity today.

“He’s always acted like a distance horse, the way he gallops, the way he trains,” Ellis said. “He’s not a fast work horse. Just every indication is the farther he goes the better. I would have rather him stretched out at home, but it didn’t work out to be able to do that.”

Treasury Bill, who will be coupled in the wagering with Title Contender, is 5-1 in the program.

The 3-2 program favorite is Super Ninety Nine, who is trying to give Baffert his record fourth consecutive Rebel victory.

Sports, Pages 19 on 03/16/2013

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