Gary Portelli has declared Rebel Dane spot-on for his Manikato Stakes showdown against a host of star sprinters from home and abroad.

But who rides the horse in his bid for back-to-back Group Ones depends on the outcome of Glen Boss's appeal on Tuesday against a careless riding suspension.

Unless Boss succeeds in having his ban significantly reduced, he will be out of Friday's meeting and Dwayne Dunn will partner Rebel Dane in the $1 million sprint.

Rebel Dane, winner of last month's Rupert Clarke Stakes, will get his second look at Moonee Valley on Tuesday morning but Portelli says the four-year-old will only have an easy workout.

"He had his gallop on Saturday morning at Flemington and worked brilliantly so he's right on track," Portelli said.

It will be Rebel Dane's second visit to the track in a few days with Portelli taking him there on a familiarisation exercise last Thursday.

"I wanted him to go as slow as he could so he could have a look where the winning post was," Portelli said.

"I reckon this horse knows where the winning post is by the way he wins his races. He just gets there in time and sticks his head out. You've got to teach him where the winning post is.

"He only wins a lot of his races by small margins and you don't do that through fluking it. He seems to be able to time it so with a bit of luck he does it again on Friday."

Rebel Dane scored by a short half-head in the Rupert Clarke and drops back from 1400m to 1200m on Friday.

Among his opposition will be Moir Stakes winner Samaready, Hong Kong star Lucky Nine and 10-time Group One placegetter Buffering.

"This is a big step up again on what he's been racing against," Portelli said.

"They are genuine Group One horses and professionals at that distance so we're going to need a bit of luck to draw the right barrier and everything is going to have to fall into place to beat these horses, particularly around the Valley.

"I'd probably be more confident down the straight but around the Valley everything has to fall into place."