With just three stakes races on the eastern seaboard and a scarcity of two-year-old action on Saturday, it looks a suitable time for a stallion to get off the mark.
As talented as he was on the racetrack, Rebel Dane has found it challenging to find any traction at stud.
With no sexy, commercially attractive sire to spike interest and a female line that had been devoid of stakes-winners for three generations, Rebel Dane covered just 36 mares in his first season, 31 in his second and only 11 in his third.
After beginning at a fee of $12,500 at Swettenham Stud, the son of California Dane had an advertised fee of $5,000 at Glen Eden Stud in 2020. That without even having a representative on the track.
None of his 28 live foals from his first crop made it to a major yearling sale
So, he has a hill to climb.
Hopefully, the Matthew Dunn-trained Subterranean can begin the ascent in the oping race over 1200m for two-year-olds at Doomben on Saturday.
At his only start do date, Subterranean finished an even third in a valuable QTIS race over a 1000m at the Sunshine Coast on November 21.
He meets the winner of that race, the Headwater filly You'll Be Mist, on 2kgs better terms on Saturday for being beaten less than three-quarters of a length.
A homebred for long-time friends Steve Grant and Kenny Lowe, who also part-owned Rebel Dane, Subterranean carries the yellow with lime seam silks of Grant Bloodstock.
It may be timely to do a quick recap on the track career of Rebel Dane.
Unraced at two he reeled off four consecutive wins in Sydney for trainer Gary Portelli, culminating in the Group II Royal Sovereign Stakes at Rosehill.
It took a good one to end his winning run. It came in the Group II Hobartville Stakes when edged out by the champion Pierro.
The son of the Danehill stallion California Dane continued to race at the highest level for the next four seasons.
He won twice at the highest level, in the MRC Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes and an emotional victory in the Mankato Stakes at Moonee Valley as a 7yo in 2016 after finishing fifth in the same race in 2013, fourth in 2014 and third behind Chautauqua and Srikandi in 2015.
While Rebel Dane overachieved on the track, the same could not be said for Subterranean's dam Caves.
As a homebred for Darley Stud's Sheikh Mohammed, Caves was given every chance to succeed.
Trained by Anthony Freedman, the daughter of Bernardini (USA) won little more than a Geelong maiden before being banished to the 2013 Inglis August Thoroughbred Sale where she was purchase by trainer Danny Curran for $4,500.
If nothing else, she proved her soundness by starting a further 57 times with a total of four wins and 21 placings with earnings of over $97,000.
Soundness seems a virtue in the family.
The dam of Caves. From The Cellar (Hennesy), won four of her 24 starts including a pair at Canterbury for Guy Walter.
From The Cellar's dam Dipping (Straight Strike) won five of her 24 starts including the Listed STC Triscay Hcp.
The fourth dam of Caves is where the class resides.
The Colin Hayes-trained Outward Bound (Without Fear) won the 1980 VRC Sires' Produce Stakes when it was still designated a Group 1.
A half-sister to the stakes-winners Dybulbas and Ruanlee, Outward Bound is the dam of the stakes-placed Kiwi Magic (Vice Regal) the dam of Group 1 BATC Doomben 10000 and Group 1 STC Winfield Classic winner Flitter (Bluebird).
