Widden Stud to Stand Rebel Dane
Widden Stud have won the race to stand Rebel Dane, who has shot to prominence as the sire of brilliant filly Fireburn.
With scintillating wins at her past two starts in the Group I ATC Golden Slipper and Sire‘s Produce Stakes, Fireburn will be Champion 2YO this season and has already won $3.7million with five wins from six starts.
Widden has a tradition of success based around the Golden Slipper and has stood Slipper winners such as Vain, Marscay, Stratum and Sebring.
The first three of those stallions all then sired Golden Slipper winners with Vain producing Sir Dapper and Inspired, Marscay leaving Bint Marscay and Stratum siring Crystal Lily in his very first crop.
From limited opportunities to date, Rebel Dane has achieved impressive statistics which is in keeping with his profile as a dual Group I winning $2.4million earning grand-son of the legendary Danehill.
Rebel Dane has sired six winners from 13 starters from his first crop headed by Group III winner Subterranean and stakes-placed Lloyd’s Crown, while his second crop has delivered Fireburn.
Widden Stud have set the fee for Rebel Dane at $27,500 inc GST.
Mark Player co-ordinated the negotiations on behalf of the stallion’s principal owners of Laurel Oak Bloodstock’s Louis Mihalyka, Siverdale’s Steve Grant and Ken Lowe and a deal was officially reached at Riverside ahead of the Inglis Easter sale.
The principal owners of Rebel Dane were unanimous in their sentiments and are likely to be busy at upcoming breeding sales looking for mares to support him. One assured of returning this season is Mull Over (So You Think), the dam of champion two-year-old filly elect and Triple Crown hopeful, Fireburn.
“Winning the Slipper and winning the Sires’ would be good in its own right, but to have that positive impact on the stallion, it’s just an added bonus. We are just so rapt to be in that position,” said Louis Mihakayla.
“We had a number of offers, all of them nearly identical, but Antony came up with a wonderful deal and we are looking forward to working with Widden over the coming years.”
Steve Grant agreed, saying “To be able to do a deal with an old friend in Antony (Thompson), it’s a wonderful way it has all turned out.”
This most exciting young stallion deserves the full backing of a commercial farm and we look forward to nurturing his career and being a part of his remarkable success story going forward.
