DEL MAR, Calif. - Charlie Appleby describes Rebel’s Romance as “a yard favorite,” which makes sense considering the gelding has been part of the stable’s team for more than four years. Racing fans on three continents can agree with the sentiment. They have witnessed the Rebel’s Romance brilliance, most recently a victory for the second time in Saturday’s Breeders’ Cup Turf at Del Mar. Rebel’s Romance, owned by Godolphin Racing, won the 2022 BC Turf at Keeneland. With Saturday’s win, he is the first two-time winner in non-consecutive years. “He’s 6 years old and still campaigning at the level he is and taking us all on journeys around the world,” Appleby said after Saturday’s race. “Everybody loves him, needless to say. He’s also built up this global fan base. You see it all around the world.” The world tour will continue in 2025, Appleby said after Rebel’s Romance’s 12th stakes win in the BC Turf. The tentative plan is for Rebel’s Romance to begin the new year in Dubai, with the Group 1 Sheema Classic at Meydan Racecourse on April 5 as a primary goal for the spring. :: Bet with the Best! Get FREE All-Access PPs and Weekly Cashback when you wager on DRF Bets. This year, Rebel’s Romance won his debut in Qatar in February and followed with victories in the Sheema Classic in March and the Champions and Chater Cup at Sha Tin Racecourse in Hong Kong in May. Rebel’s Romance was 2-5 in Hong Kong, hardly worth a bet, but still a runner admired in the Far East. “Everybody knew him there,” Appleby said. “For him to go there and do what he did was a huge feather in his cap.” After finishing third in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth II Cup at Ascot in July, Rebel’s Romance won a prep race for the BC Turf in the Group 1 Preis von Europa in Cologne, Germany, in late September. On Saturday, Rebel’s Romance won the BC Turf as the 9-5 favorite. Ridden by William Buick, Rebel’s Romance stalked the pace before taking a clear lead in early stretch. He was fully extended to hold off the Japanese longshot Rousham Park, winning by a neck. The win on Saturday is a turnaround from an unsuccessful 2023 campaign, during which Rebel’s Romance had one win in four starts, a minor stakes on the all-weather track at Kempton Park near London last December that served as a launch for his 2024 season. Earlier in 2023, Rebel’s Romance was seventh in the Sheema Classic and did not race again until the Grade 2 Bowling Green Stakes at Saratoga in which he clipped heels and unseated jockey Richard Mullen. Any hope for a start in the 2023 BC Turf ended when Rebel’s Romance finished fourth in the Grade 1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic at Aqueduct in October. “We were coming back to the Turf last year,” Appleby said. “He had that hiccup at Saratoga where he clipped heels. He lost all his confidence. He lost all of that mojo. We had to build that back up.” Those days are long gone. Rebel’s Romance, who has won 15 of 22 starts and earned more than $11.7 million, had the best year of his career in 2024. His recent success indicates more trophies are possible next year. “He’s like any athlete,” Appleby said. “When they get into that routine of winning, it takes a good one to knock them off their peg.” :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.