Rogerson 3YO Looks Sharp 'N' Smart for Derby

New Zealand Racing Hall of Fame trainer Graeme Rogerson has won the Gr1 Victoria Derby (2500m) once and trained the runner-up three times, a proud record he's hoping to improve upon on Saturday, reports racingnews.co.nz. As sprightly as ever, the 75-year-old horseman is showing no signs of slowing down as he attempts to add to his Group 1 haul of 53 elite wins. Rogerson's wife and co-trainer Debbie has an insight into the master trainer's psyche like no other and she believes that in Sharp 'N' Smart, the couple has what it takes to give them the result they crave at Flemington on Saturday. Graeme Rogerson produced Efficient to win the 2006 Classic, while Ebony Grosve (1996), Savabeel (2004) and Duelled (2005) all finished second, a result the Hamilton partnership want to one-up this weekend. The training couple produced Redwood gelding Sharp 'N' Smart for a courageous win in last Saturday's Gr1 Spring Champion Stakes (2000m) at Randwick where he dug incredibly deep when challenged. Revealing that their charge, who'll be ridden by James McDoanld, is in a great place mentally and physically, Debbie Rogerson said, "He's tough and thrives on racing. He's super fit. He's a happy horse and we're very excited going into the race on Saturday. We couldn't be any happier with him!" Graeme Rogerson shares in the ownership of Sharp 'N' Sharp along with breeder Gerry Harvey and several loyal stable clients, including Merv Butterworth, Craig Leishman and Todd Bawden.

Debbie and Graeme Rogerson (pic: bradleyphotos.com.au)