Graeme and Debbie Rogerson‘s Sharp ‘N’ Smart is aiming high this spring, with plans to pave his way towards the Group 1 Caulfield Cup (2400m) as he lines up for the Group 1 Turnbull Stakes (2000m) at Flemington on Saturday.
The son of Redwood previously won the Group 1 Spring Champion Stakes (2000m) at Randwick as a three-year-old and finished second in the Group 1 Victoria Derby (2500m).
However, his four-year-old season was disrupted by illness.
“He had a really hard three-year-old campaign, and then we were getting him ready for the Triple Crown at Hastings,” said Debbie Rogerson.
“He went well in the first leg, and we went back for the second. It’s a long trip down, and he picked up a bacterial virus. It knocked him out on his feet.
” We tried to get it on track and thought we did—he had a couple of good runs—but we still weren’t 100 percent happy.
“We gave him a good spell, and he was clear when he came back in.”
After two runs this campaign, including an improved second-place finish over a mile at Te Rapa on September 15, Rogerson is optimistic about his chances.
“If he happens to run in the first three, we’ve got the Caulfield Cup option.
“He’s nominated for the Cox Plate, and we’ve got other races leading to the Melbourne Cup, so we’ll work everything out after Saturday.
“It’s a good field, and he’s drawn not too well, but if he’s hitting the line in that last 200 metres, I’d be very happy.”
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