Trish Dunell
Hamilton trainers Graeme and Debbie Rogerson are sure they have secured a 2018 Gr.1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) contender as part of a six-horse package they bought on a trip to Australia this week.
The couple will release details next week of a syndicate they are planning to put together to race the tried horses, whose numbers include a Group One winner of more than $2 million from just 20 starts.
“We think this will be great for New Zealand racing,” Graeme Rogerson said. “We've got a couple of genuine Melbourne Cup hopes. We think this could give New Zealand racing a real lift.”
While Rogerson was reluctant to reveal details this soon, he said two of the six horses would be targeted at the Brisbane winter carnival.
The Gr.2 Windsor Park Stud Japan/New Zealand International Trophy (1600m) at Tauranga on March 24 and the Gr.2 Awapuni Gold Cup (2000m) on March 31 were targets for other members ahead of a possible tilt at the Gr.1 Sydney Cup (3200m) at Randwick on April 14.