Vekoma’s Reb Five weaves his way to victory in $300,000 Palisades S.

Reb Five made two daring moves in the final quarter-mile of Sunday’s Palisades S. at Keeneland to give the 3-year-old Vekoma colt his first stakes victory in breathtaking style.

Reb Five is the fourth stakes winner of the year for Vekoma, who leads the 2026 Third-Crop sire list by progeny earnings and stakes winners.

Unhurried early in the 5 ½-furlong turf sprint, Reb Five was eighth after making his way to the fence on the backstretch. Going into the turn, he was boxed in and checked off heels a few times before shooting through an opening on the rail passing the quarter pole. Blocked again in midstretch by a tiring Monster, Reb Five shifted to the outside of horses, and with a dramatic flourish, ran down Throckmorton to win by a neck.

“I knew my horse was making a very good run. The rail was open, but it wasn’t a very big space. I had to angle right,” jockey Jose Ortiz said. “The horse took care of the rest.”

Reb Five, who debut last year in a turf stake at Woodbine, is now 3-1-0 in six outings, with earnings of $288,413 for CJ Stables. The winner was bred in Kentucky by Stoneriggs Farm.