Talented sprinter Rebel Dane has been ruled out of the 2014 Memsie Stakes that will be held at Caulfield on Saturday after being found with a stone bruise at trackwork yesterday.
Rebel Dane has not recorded a race win since he took out the 2013 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes. Photo by: Race Horse Photos Australia
The stone bruise is not expected to have any long term repercussions for Rebel Dane and he will remain in training, but Portelli said that he did not want to run the son of California Dane in the Group 1 event if he was not at full fitness.
“We found the problem after trackwork (yesterday) morning,” Portelli told News Limited.
“I was initially concerned he might have had a fetlock problem, but X-rays cleared him of any issue in his joints.
“He does have a stone bruise in the heel of his nearside front so he will miss a fast gallop.
“I think he will be right by Saturday but you can’t go into a Group 1 race without having the necessary preparatory work.”
The Group 1 Memsie Stakes (1400m) was the major 2014 Spring Racing Carnival target for Rebel Dane and Portelli admits that he will have to rethink the spring path for the five-year-old.
Rebel Dane has not recorded a race win since he took out the Group 1 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield in September last year and he may be given the opportunity to defend his title in the Group 1 event.
The talented entire looked set for a big winter campaign when he resumed with a strong second behind Lankan Rupee in the Group 1 T.J. Smith Stakes (1200m) at Royal Randwick on April 12, but plenty went against the five-year-old in his subsequent race starts.
Rebel Dane was well-backed in the lead-up to the Group 1 All Aged Stakes (1400m) at Royal Randwick on April 26, but he finished a disappointing fifth and he was plagued by wide barrier draws in both the Group 1 Doomben 10,000 (1350m) and Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) during the 2014 Brisbane Winter Racing Carnival.
Portelli gave Rebel Dane a brief stint in the spelling paddock before he started his preparations for the 2014 Spring Racing Carnival and he finished a credible third behind Sweet Idea and Messene first-up in the Group 2 Missile Stakes (1200m) at Royal Randwick on August 9.
Despite the withdrawal of Rebel Dane, there were still plenty of talented gallopers included in the nominations for the Memsie Stakes that were released yesterday; with Group 1 winners Silent Achiever, Fawkner, Happy Trails, Boban, Foreteller, Moment Of Change, Super Cool and Dissident all a chance to contest the $400,000 race.
