The prospect of a wet track at Rosehill on Saturday has forced a change of plans for unbeaten colt Rebel Dane who will be saved for another day.
Trainer Gary Portelli confirmed Rebel Dane would now begin his autumn campaign in the Royal Sovereign Stakes on February 16.
Fellow Warwick Farm trainer Greg Hickman had hoped the colt would run in the three-year-old Benchmark 75 so he could get a gauge on how his charge, Taxmeifyoucan, measured up.
“I wanted to run against him so I could see how well my horse was going,” Hickman said.
Hickman has a fair idea how Taxmeifyoucan is going with his first-up second to Happy Galaxy on January 12 reinforced by the winner’s victory in Saturday’s Zeditave Stakes at Caulfield.
While Rebel Dane is headed on a Group One path to the Randwick Guineas in March, Taxmeifyoucan’s mission is the Scone Guineas on May 18 and Hickman will restrict his racing in the interim.
“We’ll take our time getting him there and space his runs,” he said.
“He’s a light type of horse and still immature so he doesn’t need much racing.
“The aim is to get money in the bank and get his rating up.”
The Inglis sponsored race at Scone is worth a guaranteed $400,000. Last year the purse was $500,000 due to bonus money not won over the Inglis series adding to the prize.
Taxmeifyoucan has one win and three placings from five starts with his victory on a slow track last July giving his trainer confidence he will handle any sort of ground.
He was thrown in the deep end for his debut in the 2012 Inglis Classic and rewarded his connections with a third to subsequent Group winner Cavalry Rose.
Peter Robl will ride the gelding while Hickman will put his faith in apprentices Alysha Collett and Sam Clipperton for his other two Rosehill runners – Girls Go Racing and Palasport.
Both Girls Go Racing (Collett) who is entered for the 1100m Benchmark 85 and Palasport who runs in the February Handicap (1400m) are second up after unplaced efforts at Rosehill last Saturday week.
“I thought Girls Go Racing would have gone better but she can be a little madam,” Hickman said.
“For some reason she goes better for apprentices so Alysha sticks with her.
“I like the way Sam rode Palasport last time even though he didn’t win. The wet plays into his hands so hopefully he will improve.”
Sydney’s weather is forecast to clear later in the week but Rosehill is still likely to be rain affected.
