Trans-Tasman trainer Graeme Rogerson capped one of the best weeks of his career when Shootoff won the $500,000 Group One Queensland Derby at Eagle Farm.
Rogerson won last week’s Queensland Oaks with Scarlett Lady and Shootoff’s win justified the trainer’s decision not to back the filly up against the colts and geldings in the Derby on Saturday.
Confidently ridden by former Brisbane jockey Michael Rodd, Shootoff ($3.60 fav) sprinted quickly to find the lead shortly after straightening and then held off a determined bid from Shez Sinsational ($6) to score by a long head.
Victorian filly Heidilicious ($4.20) jumped cleanly and gave her connections a big thrill when she loomed up along the inside but weakened on her run near the line and finished a long head back third.
“I thought he might need a shower of rain to produce his best but he’s still won on the dry,” Rogerson said.
“It just shows how good Scarlett Lady is – she’s a better horse than he is but we’ll savour this moment for now.”
Rodd won back-to-back Derbys after his win on Dariana last year and said Shootoff was always travelling like the winner.
“I was very confident a long way out,” he said.
“He just travelled into the race so easily and he was getting a bit tired near the line but he was too good for them.”
Shez Sinsational’s rider Opie Bosson said he thought she was going to win when she finished hard in the straight.
“The last 50 (metres) I thought I was going to pick them up,” he said.
“The winner held me in a pocket rounding the corner and it cost me a bit of momentum but apart from that we had every chance.”
Stable manager Troy Corstens said he thought Heidilicious was going to win when she got clear in the straight.
“It was a super ride and we were just a touch unlucky that we didn’t get there,” he said.
“I would have liked her to get rolling a bit earlier but other than that she was super.”
AAP TURF
