Cup hope looks Sharp

Former Cambridge trainer Graeme Rogerson, who trained Efficient the last Cambridge-bred winner of the Melbourne Cup, with the 2023 Melbourne Cup he hopes to hold again in November. Photo: Mary Anne Gill.

Save yourself the anguish in November, the Melbourne Cup winner will be Sharp ‘N’ Smart.

Well, that’s the inside word from former Cambridge trainer Graeme Rogerson and part owner, Horsham Downs rally car driver Todd Bawden.

If the 3-year-old gelding wins, Cambridge will not be adding to the 14 locally bred winners since the race, which stops two nations, was first introduced in 1861.

Sharp ‘N’ Smart is a Westbury Stud Karaka product – sired by resident British stallion Redwood out of the now late-dam Queen Margaret. Rogerson bought him for $55,000 and retains ownership with breeder Gerry Harvey and Bawden.

Victoria Racing Club executive general manager Leigh Jordon and the “Keeper of the Cup”, Joe McGrath. Photo: Mary Anne Gill.

The $NZ650,000 2023 Melbourne Cup was in Cambridge on Sunday night as part of a seven country, 41 destination tour by the Victoria Racing Club, to highlight the upcoming Melbourne Cup Carnival.

Owners, trainers, breeders and race commentators were at Alpino to hear from club executive general manager Leigh Jordon and the “Keeper of the Cup”, Joe McGrath.

McGrath rattled off the names of all 14 Cambridge-bred winners of the Group One race saying: “14 in one particular community is not seen in any part of the world.”

It helped he had been in town all day and saw the plaque in the main street which listed them all: Hiraji, Foxzami, MacDougal, Galilee, Silver Knight, Van der Hum, Gurner’s Lane, Kensei, Empire Rose, Might and Power, Jezabeel, Brew and Ethereal.

Missing is Efficient, which in 2007 became the third Melbourne Cup winner sired by champion Cambridge Stud sire Zabeel following on from Might And Power (1997) and Jezabeel (1998).

Rogerson, who began his training career in Cambridge, then Tuhikaramea Road in Hamilton, Australia, Dubai and now back in Hamilton, trained Efficient to victory.

The New Zealand Racing Hall of Famer, who has trained more race-day and Group One winners than anyone else around, thinks he is onto a winner with Sharp ‘N’ Smart.

“It’s (the Melbourne Cup) a weight for age race now,” Rogerson, now in his mid-70s, told the gathering, reinforcing his view of Sharp ‘N’ Smart’s chances. He later told The News how much winning the Melbourne Cup a second time means to him.

It’s the race to win – Graeme Rogerson.

“It’s the race to win,” he said agreeing to pose with the cup which he hopes to hold again on Tuesday November 7.

Meanwhile Cambridge Jockey Club president Bruce Harvey and chief executive Andy Cruickshank were interested onlookers hoping one of the foals about to be born around the district in the coming weeks will be a Melbourne Cup winner, one day.

Cambridge Jockey Club president Bruce Harvey and chief executive Andy Cruickshank with the Melbourne Cup and the plaque showing Cambridge bred winners. Photo: Mary Anne Gill.