Berry To Ride Rebel Dane In Stradbroke Handicap

Leading jockey Tommy Berry has been booked to ride Rebel Dane in the 2014 Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) at Eagle Farm on June 7.

Glen Boss has been replaced on Rebel Dane for the Stradbroke Handicap by Tommy Berry.

Glen Boss has been replaced on Rebel Dane for the Stradbroke Handicap by Tommy Berry. Photo by: Race Horse Photos Australia

Glen Boss has been the regular jockey for Rebel Dane since the start of his 2013 Spring Racing Carnival campaign, but Sky Racing’s Andrew Bensley reported on Twitter that Berry had picked up the ride on the Group 1 winner after there was speculation that Boss would elect to ride talented filly Srikandi in the Stradbroke Handicap.

“Tommy Berry will ride Rebel Dane in Stradbroke at Eagle Farm,” Bensley posted on Twitter.

“Owners keen to act now with speculation Glen Boss on Srikandi.

“Trainer Gary Portelli said Rebel Dane owners didn’t want to wait and then miss out on quality of Tommy Berry who was being lured by others.

“Jockey Glen Boss, who is riding at Seymour today hadn’t confirmed his Stradbroke ride before the Tommy Berry decision was made.”

Boss rode Rebel Dane for the first time when he took out the Group 3 Show County Quality (1200m) at Warwick Farm on August 24 and rode the four-year-old in the Group 3 Bobbie Lewis Quality (1200m) at Flemington on September 7 before he took out the Group 1 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes (1400m) in a blanket finish from Fontelina, Solzhenitsyn and Speediness at Caulfield on September 29.

Dwayne Dunn rode Rebel Dane when he finished an unlucky fifth behind Buffering in the Group 1 Manikato Stakes (1200m) at Moonee Valley on October 25, but Boss reunited with the entire for the Group 1 VRC Sprint Classic and he partnered him in the Group 1 T.J. Smith Stakes (1200m), Group 1 All Aged Stakes (1400m) and Group 1 Doomben 10,000 (1350m) this preparation.

Portelli said this morning that Rebel Dane had come out of his impressive fourth place finish in the Group 1 Doomben 10,000 (1350m) at Doomben on Saturday in excellent condition and he is confident that the son of California Dane can score his second win at Group 1 level in the Stradbroke Handicap this weekend.

Boss is now expected to take the ride on Srikandi, who has stamped herself as a leading contender for the Stradbroke Handicap with impressive wins in the Listed Silk Stocking (1200m) at the Gold Coast on May 3, the Listed Juanmo Stakes (1200m) at Doomben on May 17 and the Group 3 Glenlogan Park Stakes (1350m) last weekend.

Berry has also been booked to ride Almalad in the Group 1 J.J. Atkins (1600m) and Elusive Runner in the Group 1 Queensland Derby (2400m) at Eagle Farm on June 7.

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Thomas Hackett

Thomas is a passionate and opinionated racing journalist and punter who has been obsessed with horse racing since he backed Saintly to win the 1996 Melbourne Cup. An international racing enthusiast, he has his finger on the pulse of racing news not just from Australia but all around the world.