Talented sprinter Rebel Dane has returned to work for the first time since his maiden Group 1 victory in the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield last Sunday.
Rebel Dane recorded a breakthrough victory in the Group 1 Rupert Clarke Stakes. Photo by: Race Horse Photos Australia
Trainer Gary Portelli gave Rebel Dane a brief freshen-up following his gutsy triumph in the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes and has now started to get the four-year-old ready for his tilt at the Group 1 Patinack Farm Classic (1200m) at Flemington on November 9.
Portelli told RSN that the son of California Dane was clearly feeling the effects of his tough run in the days after the race but since the start of this week has been itching to return to the track.
“He had a few easy days; the first couple of days he was a bit jaded and had his head to the back of the stable and didn’t want to talk to anybody, but he bounced back pretty quickly,” Portelli said.
“He has been pretty dangerous the last few days; by that I mean he is going to hurt himself if we don’t do some work with him so he has just done a little bit of pace work.
“We will build him back up again so he is right at his peak on the day.”
Rebel Dane’s victory in the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes took his overall career record to six wins from ten starts; with all but one of his victories by a margin of less than half a length.
Portelli said he believes the four-year-old has the uncanny ability to know where the finishing line is and that ability was plan to see in his first Group 1 win.
“That is just characteristic of the way this horse races,” Portelli said.
“He has only ever won one of his races by a space; most of the time he has just got there on the line and it is like he knows where he has to put in.
“At the top of the straight when he got across to the leader heels and gave him daylight I thought that he would just dash past these but at this level plenty of nice horses are chasing you.”
Rebel Dane will join Anonyme (1961) as the only horse to win the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes and Patinack Farm Classic in the same year if he is successful on the final day of the 2013 Melbourne Cup Carnival.
