Trainer Gary Portelli announced today that rising four-year-old Rebel Dane will be restricted to sprint events during the 2013 Spring Racing Carnival.

Rebel Dane is set to return to the races in the Show Country Quality. Photo by: Steve Hart

Rebel Dane was highly impressive over shorter distances during the Autumn Racing Carnival, winning the Group 2 Royal Sovereign Stakes (1200m) before finishing a narrow runner-up to Pierro in the Group 2 Hobartville Stakes (1400m), but wasn’t at his best when tested over longer distances in the Group 1 Randwick Guineas (1600m) and Group 1 George Ryder Stakes (1500m).

Portelli isn’t targeting any particular events this spring but said you won’t see Rebel Dane in any races over 1400 metres.

“We are just going to earmark spring races with him, last preparation showed that he won’t get anything further than 1400m,” Portelli told Racing Ahead.

“We are going to take it one run at a time, being the type of horse that does lighten off we can sort of space his runs, which will be good for him.

“I’m not going to target anything until I see how he goes first-up and then we can work out what grade of horse we have got, especially now that he is a four-year-old and is taking on older horses for the first time.”

Portelli said that the California Dane three-year-old has returned from a spell in brilliant condition and he is pleased with the increased strength of the colt.

“He is coming along beautifully; he has really come back a lot stronger and his trackwork has been great,” Portelli said.

“He went out weighing 440kg and he has come back in weighing 480kg and has now come up to 488kg.

“He is a stallion so he is probably only starting to mature now.”

Rebel Dane is set to trail next Friday at Warwick Farm before making his return to the races in the Group 3 Show Country Handicap (1200m) on Saturday August 24.