Rebel Dane Faces Tough Memsie Opposition
- Sunday, 24 August 2014 08:15
What was looking like a soft option for Rebel Dane a couple of months ago is now shaping as a much harder challenge in the Memsie Stakes.
Gary Portelli had Rebel Dane up and running early hoping for a pre-emptive strike in the season's first Group One race at Caulfield on Saturday.
The Memsie is over the 1400m course at the track where Rebel Dane enjoyed his biggest success in last year's Group One Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes.
Rebel Dane
"The plan may have back-fired. The Memsie is a much stronger race than normal," Portelli said.
"Usually there are a lot stayers resuming and there still will be, but with horses like Sweet Idea and Boban it will be tough.
"I have a lot of respect for Boban. He is a very good horse."
The Chris Waller-trained Boban was scratched from Saturday's Warwick Stakes at Randwick because of the wet track and diverted to the Memsie.
Although the Memsie will be stronger than he thought, Portelli says Rebel Dane has done well since his first-up third behind Sweet Idea and Messene in the Missile Stakes, beaten less than half a length.
"He had a good gallop over 1000 metres at Warwick Farm on Saturday morning," he said.
"He will have another gallop on Tuesday and go to Melbourne on Thursday night.
"It will be a hit and run mission because he doesn't like being away from home too long."
Craig Williams replaces the suspended Blake Shinn on Rebel Dane in the Memsie and Portelli will be clear on how he wants the horse ridden.
"I think Blake may have ridden him a bit too quietly in the Missile," Portelli said.
"He should have got going sooner to use the finish that he has."
Boban finished fourth in the Missile, working hard from a long way back with jockey Glyn Schofield believing he didn't get a fair start.
Sweet Idea's trainer Gai Waterhouse said the mare was at peak fitness ahead of her attempt at an elusive Group One win with Craig Newitt to ride.
She has had three Group One starts for a third in the 2013 Golden Slipper, second in the Coolmore Classic earlier this year and ninth in the TJ Smith on a heavy track.
