Glen Eden Stud’s Rebel Dane is making a statement for breeders to pay him closer attention after Lloyd’s Crown opened his winning account at Sandown before Rebel Shadow made a promising career debut when second at Canterbury.
A three-quarter-length second to Rambeau when on debut at Pakenham on May 12, the Rebecca Waymouth-trained Lloyd’s Crown left that colt over two lengths astern in third place in the opener over 1000m at Sandown on Wednesday.
He became the second winner from just three starters for Rebel Dane following the Group III Ken Russell Memorial hero Subterranean.
Ridden by Remi Tremsal, Lloyd’s Crown rode the early speed before taking control in the straight to defeat the Written Tycoon colt Along The River by a long-neck with the Brazen Beau colt Rambeau a further two lengths back in third.
“He’s very unassuming; every time I have asked of him to do something, he has improved,” Waymouth told Racing.com.
“Ryan galloped him on Thursday, and we were really happy with his work. It is hard in two-year-old races as everyone has a spruik on their horse, but we were confident he had improved.
“He was a lot better in the barriers today. He jumped cleaner.
“He still swishes his tail, but it is not anything to do with the whip. It is a family trait. We have bred from the family, and I don’t know why they do it. They just swish their tail, and he even does it at home when trotting and cantering around.
“So, he is a bit of a weirdo, but we don’t mind when they win like that.”
A homebred for Hill Holme Lodge, Lloyd’s Crown is the fourth winner from as many to race out of the hard-knocking High Rolling mare Mahogany Room, who won four and placed in eight of her 31 starts.
Mahogany Room is a half-sister to Group II Perth Cup winner Cardinal Colours (Chief’s Crown) and a sister stakes-placed Silvercitymiss. She has a weanling filly by Squamosa and was bred back to Rebel Dane last spring.
A dual Group 1 winning son of California Dane, Rebel Dane will have to do it the hard way with 28 live foals in his first crop and 26 in his second.
Rebel Dane has covered little more than a handful of mares for the past two seasons. That is likely to change with the success of his first crop. He has earned a small raise in his service fee to $8,800 at Glen Eden Stud for the forthcoming season.
