Rogerson Expecting Fortunes To Turn Around

The Age

Wednesday October 26, 2005

By ANDREW EDDY

THERE are at least two reasons why the usually flamboyant Graeme Rogerson has been out of the spring carnival's spotlight. Firstly, he is still recovering from a loss of 14 kilograms in just under two weeks after taking the wrong tablets for his diabetes and, secondly, he just hasn't had quite the firepower in the major races. Until now.

But Rogerson said yesterday he expected his fortunes to turn around this week. He's putting the weight back on and "feeling better" and, at the same time, his Victoria Derby contender Duelled is "thriving" in the lead-up to Saturday's $1.5 million race.

"He's right in the race up to his neck," he said of Duelled after trackwork at Flemington yesterday. "He worked brilliantly on the wet track, running home his final 200 (metres) in 11.85. It was sensational work."

"He's a much, much better chance than Savabeel (second) was last year. Savabeel was trained for a mile-and-a-quarter (2000m) Cox Plate while this one is screaming out for the extra ground."

Duelled was yesterday rated $6 behind Bart Cummings' colt Pendragon at $2.10 and the John Hawkes-trained Headturner at $3.50.

Despite Rogerson's confidence, Pendragon, the winner of the group 2 Norman Robinson Stakes on October 15, could start odds-on as trainer Bart Cummings strives for his sixth Victoria Derby crown.

Cummings said yesterday that the colt took no harm from a spectacular incident at Flemington on Monday morning when he reared up and fell on Cummings' foreman Reg Fleming. "He's all right," Cummings said. "No harm done".

Pendragon's jockey Glen Boss said yesterday that he believed the colt was ready to produce a personal best performance in the derby. He watched from the stands while on suspension when Greg Childs partnered the horse at Caulfield.

"There was a definite bias to the leaders at Caulfield so he was ridden up to suit the way the track was racing and not so much the horse," Boss said. "I believe if we can get him to relax early he'll go even better in the derby. He'll be very, very difficult to beat."

Meanwhile, Caulfield Cup winning rider Greg Childs will be reunited with Wangaratta-trained Lad Of The Manor in Saturday's group 1 Mackinnon Stakes (2000m) after the horse ran a luckless fifth, when ridden by Brian Johns, in the Cox Plate.

DERBY MARKET

(Run Saturday)

$2.10 Pendragon

$3.50 Headturner

$6 Duelled

$7.50 Gallant Guru

$10 Hotel Grand (doubtful)

$15 Manton, Replicator, Benicio

$26 Destinys Day

$41 Point Made

$51 Danger Looms

$61 Shotgun Saxon, Portland Spirit, Majorca

$101 Power Of Destiny

$151 Empire Gold, On The Knocker, Pegachi

$201 Australian Arch, Escape Artist, On The Map, Pentacolo

Market from Tabcorp

© 2005 The Age

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