Making turf history is nothing new for colourful trainer Graeme Rogerson.
He remains the only New Zealand trainer to have won the Golden Slipper and Magic Millions 2yo Classic, having produced Polar Success to win the Slipper in 2003 and Bradbury's Luck to claim Queensland's biggest prize in racing two years later.
Both wins were when Rogerson operated stables out of Randwick in Sydney, but with him closing that base last year to concentrate on his New Zealand stable, the 12-time domestic premiership winner has set his sights on a new goal of winning Australia's two biggest juvenile races with New Zealand-trained gallopers.
"Hopefully I can go back to Australia and win their two biggest two-year-old races from New Zealand," Rogerson said.
"We've won plenty of two-year-old races and plenty of Group One races in Australia but it would be special to win a Golden Slipper and a Magic Millions from New Zealand."
To aid that goal, Rogerson and his wife Debbie will next season prepare their biggest team of two-year-olds in years.
The training partners bought 42 yearlings between Karaka and the Gold Coast this year, while youngsters they have bred themselves and others they will train for breeders, most notably Baramul Stud and Westbury Stud's Gerry Harvey, make for a formidable crop of early-season runners.
Among the Karaka buys are the Fastnet Rock-Katie Lee colt and the Zabeel-Ekstreme colt, both of which the Rogersons regard highly.
A consignment of 10 yearlings bought at this month's Magic Millions Yearling Sales at the Gold Coast arrived at the Rogersons' Hamilton training complex earlier this week and it was clear the couple were excited by the new prospects.
Among the youngsters are two Fastnet Rock fillies, fillies by Encosta De Lago, Mossman, Starspangledbanner, All American and Domesday, while the two colts, by Redoute's Choice and I Am Invincible - with price tags of $A250,000 and A$180,000 respectively, are standouts.
"I bought 10 yearlings at the Gold Coast especially for two-year-old racing and to target the Magic Millions and the Golden Slipper," Rogerson said.
"I bought Polar Success from that sale and she was a $32,000 purchase. These 10 are absolute two-year-old types and they'll be entered this week to win the Golden Slipper. We're having a decent go at winning the Golden Slipper from New Zealand."
Rogerson, who has also trained the winner of the Cox Plate and Melbourne Cup, is keen to make history with the first New Zealand-trained Golden Slipper winner.
"We're training the biggest team we've had in years. We're getting behind New Zealand racing and Gerry Harvey has backed us too. We'll have a great bunch of two-year-olds," Rogerson said. - NZ Racing Desk
