Unbelievable Win by Rebel Dane's Fireburn in Golden Slipper

Mark Smith - Saturday March 19

Bounced around like a pinball in the run, the Rebel Dane filly Fireburn scored an unbelievable win in Saturday’s $5million Group 1 Longines Golden Slipper (1200m) at Rosehill.

What a win (image Steve Hart)

It was a second win in the world’s richest two-year-old race for trainer Gary Portelli and jockey Brenton Avdulla.

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After copping a check and forced back to third last, Fireburn powered home along the fence to power home to win running away by two and a half lengths from the Snitzel colt  Best Of Bordeaux, with a long neck back to the Written Tycoon filly Coolangatta in third.

It was the fourth win in five starts for Fireburn whose earnings rocket to $3,037,250.

Portelli admitted he had given up on Fireburn when she was stopped in her tracks.

“And then you could see her building and going through her revs, what a finish,” Portelli said.

“Unbelievable. Rebel Dane, who’d have thought he would throw a Golden Slipper winner?

“Congratulations to (managing owner) Louis Mihalyka and the team. I am forever thankful to them for giving me Rebel Dane to start with and then a daughter of his and it just continued the great story.

“She has been the biggest improver in the stable that I’ve ever seen. I said this week, she has peaked so well.

“This morning, I had to go and work her. I was going to give her an easy day but she was too fresh, so I had to go and give her some work and she has turned up here and smashed them.

“She is the best two-year-old in Australia right now and I’ve got no doubt she will be the best three-year-old next year.

“Brenton has gone to a new level. Sometimes you have an injury and he’s had a situation where he has probably looked at his career and he’s potentially had his lifestyle taken away from him and they come back and realise what they’ve got.

“It’s the greatest sport. It’s the highs and lows, you’ve got to put up with the lows and hope the highs come back and here he has come back from a serious injury and won two Group Ones in a month, so it just goes to show, don’t give up.”

Fireburn Brenton Avdulla (all images Steve Hart)

Avdulla said he had given up winning on Fireburn after she continually ran into trouble.

“I was happy early. They went along for a furlong and I just couldn’t hold a spot,” Avdulla said.

“I was trying to keep Brett (Pebble) out, but I was just going to be burning, so I was just happy to let her come back and let him hopefully crash tackle a few of them for me.

“Once we got out of the shoot there was a real shuffle up and it felt like the speed came out of the race and I almost sold out and lost plenty of momentum and ended up back second last.

“From the 500m onwards I just thought ‘I can’t win the race, I’m just gonna get a couple and earn some prizemoney.

“Once I straightened up and got balanced and started to pick them off one-by-one, I got to the 200m thinking ‘this thing is going to win’.

“I knew I was home at the furlong, I just had to get out.”

A Laurel Oak Bloodstock homebred, Fireburn is the first foal of the winning So You Think mare Mull Over, purchased by Laurel Oak for $22,000 from the Lime Country draft at the 2018 National Broodmare Sale.

Fireburn is a first winner at the highest level for her sire and a first for so You Think as a broodmare sire.

Mull Over is a half-sister to dual Listed stakes-winner Galizani (Galileo).

Mull Over's dam Zahani (Zabeel) is a daughter of the Group 1 Flight Stakes winner Danarani Danehill).

Fireburn is a daughter of Laurel Oaks dual Group 1 winner, Rebel Dane, whose first crop includes the Group III winner Subterranean and stakes-placed Lloyd's Crown.

(Read more on Fireburn’s pedigree here).

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Race Result - Longines Golden Slipper Gr1 1200m

Rosehill Track: Heavy(9) Time: 1:12.79
1
Fireburn
- 2f Rebel Dane (AUS) x Mull Over (AUS) (So You Think (NZ))
Tnr: G Portelli Rdr: B Avdulla 54.5
Rebel Dane
2
2.5
Best Of Bordeaux
- 2c Snitzel (AUS) x Chateau Cheval (AUS) (High Chaparral (IRE))
Tnr: Kacy Fogden Rdr: S Clipperton 56.5
MM Gold Coast Yearling Sale $650,000
Seller: Baramul Stud, Widden Valley, NSW
Buyer: Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott Racing/Kestrel Thoroughbreds/Kia Ora Stud
3
2.9
Coolangatta
- 2f Written Tycoon (AUS) x Piping Hot (AUS) (More Than Ready (USA))
Tnr: C Maher & D Eustace Rdr: J B Mc Donald 54.5
4
4.0
Daumier
- 2c Epaulette (AUS) x Illustrate (AUS) (Street Cry (IRE))
Tnr: A & S Freedman Rdr: M Zahra 56.5
5
5.7
Ojai
- 2f Exceed And Excel (AUS) x Matilija (AUS) (Medaglia D'Oro (USA))
Tnr: James Cummings Rdr: Regan Bayliss 54.5
6
5.8
Jacquinot
- 2c Rubick (AUS) x Ponterro (AUS) (Pierro (AUS))
Tnr: M Price & M Kent Jnr Rdr: J Bowman 56.5
7
6.7
She's Extreme
- 2f Extreme Choice (AUS) x Keysbrook (AUS) (So Secret (AUS))
Tnr: A J Cummings Rdr: B Prebble 54.5
8
6.8
Queen Of The Ball
- 2f I Am Invincible (AUS) x Miss Debutante (AUS) (Fastnet Rock (AUS))
Tnr: R & M Freedman Rdr: Rachel King 54.5
9
7.3
Sejardan
- 2c Sebring (AUS) x Miss Amajardan (AUS) (Hinchinbrook (AUS))
Tnr: G Portelli Rdr: J R Collett 56.5
10
7.8
Russian Conquest
- 2f Russian Revolution (AUS) x My Conquestadory (USA) (Artie Schiller (USA))
Tnr: P & P Snowden Rdr: Tommy Berry 54.5
11
8.0
Revolutionary Miss
- 2f Russian Revolution (AUS) x Purcentage (AUS) (Onemorenomore (AUS))
Tnr: P & P Snowden Rdr: K Mc Evoy 54.5
12
8.5
Seven Veils
- 2f Shalaa (IRE) x Mesmereyeser (AUS) (Redoute's Choice (AUS))
Tnr: Mark Newnham Rdr: J Parr 54.5
13
10.2
Lady Laguna
- 2f Overshare (AUS) x Catalina De Lago (NZ) (Encosta De Lago (AUS))
Tnr: Annabel Neasham Rdr: Ms L J Meech 54.5
14
13.3
Sweet Ride
- 2c Deep Field (AUS) x How Sweet It Is (AUS) (Foxwedge (AUS))
Tnr: Annabel Neasham Rdr: N Rawiller 56.5
15
13.4
Sebonack
- 2c Capitalist (AUS) x Profound Wisdom (AUS) (Al Samer (AUS))
Tnr: M, W & J Hawkes Rdr: W Pike 56.5
16
14.3
Rise Of The Masses
- 2c Russian Revolution (AUS) x Ruud Awakening (AUS) (Bernardini (USA))
Tnr: G Waterhouse & A Bott Rdr: Tim Clark 56.5
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