From the second crop of Rebel Dane (California Dane-Texacarna, by More Than Ready), who has just 34 named foals including first crop 3YO Group winner Subterranean (Rebel Dane-Caves, by Bernardini), new Golden Slipper heroine Fireburn is the first foal of winning mare Mull Over, who is a half-sister to Listed winner Galizani (Galileo). Rebel Dane stood his first two seasons at Swettenham Stud, covering 36 and 31 mares respectively. He was then moved to Glen Eden Stud, also in Victoria, where he served only 11 mares resulting in seven foals who are currently yearlings. Then in 2020, he served only 14 mares resulting in seven live foals this season, followed by his biggest book in 2021 – thanks to Subterranean – with 49 mares covered. His future home is currently unknown with Glen Eden Stud recently announcing that Rebel Dane’s owners, including Silverdale Farm and Grant Bloodstock principal Steve Grant, will move him to NSW for the 2022 season. There is little doubt after Saturday’s astonishing Slipper comeback by Fireburn, who looked gone for all money, breeders are sure to want to be a part of the second coming of her hitherto under-appreciated sire. “Rebel Dane was a great horse to us, he won two Group 1 races (Manikato Stakes and Sir Rupert Clark Stakes) and ran for us in Hong Kong,” trainer Gary Portelli enthused. “For him to produce a Golden Slipper winner from his second crop shows how good a stallion he is.”
