2025 Rebel Stakes predictions, odds, horses, contenders: Expert who nailed Breeders’ Cup reveals picks​on February 22, 2025 at 2:43 pm

The 2025 Rebel Stakes is a critical stop on the road to the Kentucky Derby, and 14 horses will aim for glory when the race gets underway on Sunday at Oaklawn Park in Arkansas. American Pharoah was the last Rebel Stakes winner to be victorious at the Run for the Roses, winning both races back in 2015. The winner of the Rebel Stakes 2025 will be awarded 50 Derby qualifying points, so the competition will be fierce. Will one of the 2025 Rebel Stakes betting favorites cross the finish line first, or will a long shot steal the spotlight? Post time for the 2025 Rebel Stakes is 6:23 p.m. ET.

Sandman is the 4-1 morning-line favorite in the 2025 Rebel Stakes odds, followed by Madaket Road (9-2), Bullard (5-1) and Speed King (6-1). With talented 3-year-olds set to enter the starting gate on Sunday, you’ll want to see what Santa Anita-based racing reporter and insider Michelle Yu has to say before making any 2025 Rebel Stakes picks.

Few people in racing are as well-connected as Yu. An on-air host and reporter who has provided racing analysis for TVG, HRTV and the Breeders’ Cup, Yu has spent a lifetime in racing. Prior to her television career, she worked for trainers Steve Asmussen and Ron Moquett. She also is married to Santa Anita-based trainer Ryan Hanson.

Yu also has tremendous handicapping chops. In a wide-open Kentucky Derby in 2021, she gave out Medina Spirit, who crossed the finish line first, as the winner at 12-1. In Pool 5 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager two years ago, she suggested a play on All Other 3-Year-Olds, which cashed at a whopping 18-1 when Rich Strike won the Derby.

Last year, Yu correctly called National Treasure to win the Pegasus World Cup, predicted Stronghold’s upset win in the Santa Anita Derby and smashed the exacta in the Apple Blossom Handicap. On the Belmont Stakes undercard, she nailed National Treasure’s win in the Met Mile, and had the winner and exacta in the Woody Stephens Stakes. She closed out the year by hitting the exacta in the Breeders’ Cup Classic.  

Now, Yu has handicapped the 2025 Rebel Stakes lineup, made her picks and constructed her best bets. You can head to SportsLine now to see them.

Top 2025 Rebel Stakes predictions

One surprise: Yu is high Speed King, even though he is an underdog at 6-1. This three-year-old has two wins and one second-place finish in three career starts. His last race took place at Oaklawn Park, where he upset the Southwest Stakes (Gr. 3) field as a 14-1 long shot. He grabbed an early lead in that race to beat 2025 Rebel Stakes betting favorite Sandman, who stumbled out of the gate in that race.

“With Sandman not getting a clean trip in the Southwest Stakes, Speed King was the beneficiary. He is a consistent performer and will need to step up if his rivals get clean trips,” Yu told SportsLine. You can see all of Yu’s 2025 Rebel Stakes bets here.

How to make 2025 Rebel Stakes picks

Yu is especially high on a longshot who is “not a complete outsider at double-digit odds.” She is including this horse in her 2025 Rebel Stakes bets, and so should you. She’s sharing which horses to back at SportsLine.

So who wins the 2025 Rebel Stakes? And how has Yu constructed her wagers? Visit SportsLine to see Yu’s picks for the Rebel Stakes 2025, all from the Santa Anita-based racing insider who nailed the Breeders’ Cup Classic, and find out. 

2025 Rebel Stakes odds, contenders