For decades, Graeme Rogerson was part of the fabric of Sydney racing and the colourful Kiwi made a fist of sweeping Australia’s biggest races.
During a five-year period from 2003, he won a Golden Slipper with Polar Success (2003), a Cox Plate with Savabeel (2004) and a Melbourne Cup with Efficient (2007).
Family reasons prompted Rogerson to permanently close his Randwick stable in 2013 and move back to New Zealand to train, but on Saturday he returns to his old haunt hoping to plunder the Group 1 Spring Champion Stakes (2000m) with Sharp ‘N’ Smart.
“We won a Golden Slipper, a Cox Plate, a Melbourne Cup,” Rogerson said.
“We had a good run, but I can’t look back now, I’ve got to look forward and we’ve got some nice horses.”
You could argue Rogerson has spent his whole career looking forward.
Having bought Sharp ‘N’ Smart for just $55,000 as a yearling, the self-confessed “wheeler and dealer” put him through New Zealand’s Ready To Run sale but when the horse didn’t attract interest, he happily took him home.
As well as training the horse in partnership with his wife Debbie, Rogerson is also a part-owner, along with Gerry Harvey, prolific trotting owner Merv Butterworth and Craig Leishman, who has raced horses with Rogerson for 40 years, among them 1991 Sydney Cup winner Just A Dancer.
Rogerson was inducted into the New Zealand Racing Hall Of Fame in 2012, he has trained more winners than any other Kiwi trainer, and his career has led him around the world.
Now in his mid-70s, he could be excused for taking his foot off the pedal but if anything, he is busier than ever and importantly, family are front and centre of all that he does.
“We’re into everything now, property development, farms. I still start at half past three in the mornings, but it’s good,” he said.
“There are not many places I haven’t raced horses around the world. We’ve been lucky, we’ve won races in America, the Middle East, Europe, Germany.
“We have been everywhere, and we’ve had a lot of success. We have trained over 5000 winners.
“My sons and grand kids are involved now, so I’m going down the pecking order.”
Rogerson is hoping Sharp ‘N’ Smart can elevate himself to the top of the order in the Spring Champion and the gelding has the form on the board with a fighting last-start win in the Gloaming Stakes.
The trainer did ponder running him in the Cox Plate but decided “it was a little too soon for him”, opting instead to keep him against his own age and target a three-race Australian spring mission, with the Victoria Derby the final leg.
As for whether Sharp ‘N’ Smart can win on Saturday and give the Rogersons their first Australian Group 1 since Shootoff captured the 2011 Queensland Derby, the wily horseman is ever optimistic.
“You’re always hopeful in this game. I think he will run well.”
