Portelli thrilled as Rebel wins applause Strong finish ... Jason Collett raises his whip in salute on Rebel Dane on Saturday. GARY PORTELLI admitted he might have underestimated unbeaten colt Rebel Dane after a remarkable win in the Royal Sovereign Stakes at Rosehill on Saturday. Not much went right for Rebel Dane before getting to the home turn at the tail of the field, but he unleased a tremendous burst to run down Urquidez in the final strides. "I don't think I have had a horse like him before," Portelli said. I have had some good ones but they have been leaders and he can do it from behind. It is hard to say how good that win was. On the turn I was thinking, 'Well, he is going to run a nice race and have a few excuses, getting squeezed out and being back in a slowly run race.' He was chasing a really good horse in Urquidez and even halfway down the straight I didn't think he was a chance of getting him. The last 50 [metres] he really dug in and it was amazing. Rebel Dane was last at the 400m mark and the on-course timing clocked him running 21.80 seconds for the sections, taking 0.8 second out of Urquidez. Portelli believes Rebel Dane will only get better when he steps up in trip later in the carnival. "I actually think with his turn of foot and ability to relax that 1400m and a mile will suit him but he is going to be taking on some good ones," Portelli said. He might be better than I thought. We were always thinking of going to the Hobartville [Stakes] and that run has just confirmed it. It was a first stakes win for former New Zealand hoop Jason Collett since arriving in Sydney. "It means a lot to win this and I can't stop smiling," Collett said. I planned to go forward actually, but I got him to settle and was still confident at the 200 metres when I felt him kick. He had two trials coming into this but he actually wasn't that sharp after his second trial. He's only a lightly framed horse and has a lot of improvement left in him. Rebel Dane got there by a head from Urquidez with Taxmeifyoucan another 1¾ lengths back in third. Trainer Jarrod Austin said Urquidez would push on to the Hobartville where he will meet Rebel Dane again and possibly Pierro. "I actually thought he was home," Austin said. This was always a test to see where he stands and he showed he is up to them, so we will push on. I think if it was a dry track he would have held on but the wet track just probably took a bit out of him. Nathan Berry thought Urquidez knocked up in the closing stages He needed the run. Coming into it he had two soft trials and he was in trouble at the 200 metres," he said. He got a bit weary. Previously unbeaten Kiwi Sacred Falls was heavily backed late in betting from $3.60 to $2.80 but could only manage to run into fifth. "It was a little bit disappointing [but] they didn't go that hard," jockey Leith Innes said. He probably needs 14 [1400 metres] to a mile [1600m] now.