Rebel Dane is Perfect 10

After an impressive hit out on Tuesday morning, champion sprinter Rebel Dane is all set to travel north to be a top contender in the Group 1 Doomben 10,000 this Saturday.

With the final decision made after this morning’s barrier draw, Rebel Dane will start from gate ten.

Trained at Warwick Farm by Gary Portelli, he believes the stunning seven-year-old entire is close to his best and will aim to finish his racing career on a high note at Queensland’s Winter Carnival, before commencing stallion duties this spring at Swettenham Stud.

“After speaking with owners this morning, the speed is pretty good, and I think with the heavy track, we can slot in behind the pace.” Portelli said.

“It looks like they are going to go real quick, you have Take Down, you have Fell Swoop drawn wide, you have Redzel and company drawn down close; they will roll along, and that might just set the race up for us. His best runs have been when he has come off the back of a fast run race around a tight turning track.”

“At his best, he is the genuine Group 1 horse in that group, and at his very best, none of these horses could hold a candle against horses he has raced against in previous years. “

“Now he is a bit older, he takes longer to reach peak fitness, but he has had two good runs now, a freshen up, then a nice trial to sharpen him up; he’s a very happy horse.”

“The way he worked on Tuesday, he is feeling well and looking great, it would be brilliant to get another Group 1 win before he goes to stud." Portelli said.

“All going to plan, we will then head onto the Stradbroke for his final start. The Goodwood looked to be the tougher option, and we would have had to travel through Melbourne, so there is risk involved and then we could have drawn barrier twenty anyway. So, so my gut feeling is, we should go for this race (Domben 10,000).”

Rebel Dane has been competitive in top-class company throughout his racing career, with his last thirty starts all at Group 1 or Group 2 level. With prize money totalling over $2.4m, his Group 1 victories include the Manikato Stakes and the Rupert Clarke Stakes. He had had two solid runs this preparation at Group 1 level, in the William Reid Stakes and the T J Smith Stakes.

Adam Sangster is excited about this wonderful sprinter joining the roster at Swettenham Stud in the spring,

"After his first four winning starts including the Royal Sovereign Group 2, Rebel Dane has always competed at the highest level by running in the first four in ten Group 1's, being victorious in 2.”

“The Rebel Dane team are confident that he can add to that tally with his last two upcoming Group 1 starts in Brisbane."

The dual Group One winner will have his final swan song in the Group 1 Stradbroke at Eagle Farm on Saturday 10th June, closing the door on a truly magnificent career.

By California Dane, Rebel Dane is bred on the Danehill/More Than Ready cross and should make an exceptional Super VOBIS stallion, providing Victorian mare owners with the opportunity to breed to a sound, high-class sprinter.

Rebel Dane will stand this year at Swettenham Stud for the highly competitive fee of $12,500 (Inc. GST)

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