Shez Bella NZ Photo by NZ Harness Photos
MELBOURNE Cup-winning trainer Graeme Rogerson was planning to be at Moonee Valley on Saturday instead; his focus will be at Maryborough the next day.
Rogerson had set his star galloper Sharp 'N' Smart for the Ladbrokes Cox Plate, but an untimely setback ended his Spring Carnival before it really got started.
In the meantime, Rogerson's other passion – harness racing – has stretched from NZ into Australia through talented young trotters Lovemeto and Shez Bella.
Rogerson and his harness training partner Dylan Ferguson work "about 30" harness horses at his Hamilton property.
Ferguson has camped with Nathan Jack near Shepparton during this stay, a relationship which started when the Kiwi spent four months working for Jack almost a decade ago.
Jack looms as one of Ferguson's major hurdles in Sunday's feature, the $75,000 Group 1 Victoria Trotters' Derby.
The Ferguson and Rogerson-trained Lovemeto improved from an encouraging Aussie debut second to win his Derby heat by an impressive 31.2m, while the Jack-driven The Locomotive won a much stronger second heat.
"Realistically, we had to win that weaker heat in that sort of fashion to show we'd be a chance in the final," Ferguson said.
"The other heat was so much stronger. I think any of the first three home there would've been just as impressive had they been in our heat."
Ferguson is referring to The Locomotive, NSW visitor London To A Brick and emerging filly Shes Ruby Roo.
"Lovemeto made considerable improvement from that first run here to his Derby heat, and I'm hoping there's another 5-10 improvement again from a strong 2690m run the other day," Ferguson said.
"He's drawn five, which is OK, but a lot will need to go right for it to be a good draw with the likes of Shes Ruby Roo and London To A Brick drawn inside us."
"And while it's good The Locomotive has drawn the back row, he might be able to trail through well, so I'll have to be mindful to try and stay in front of him early."
"Shes Ruby Roo could be the smokey from her draw (gate one). I liked her run in the heat."
Ferguson also concedes Shez Bella will need luck from her outside draw in the Aldebaran Park Gold Bracelet (race four) on Sunday.
"I'd love to swap draws with Rockinwithattitude," Ferguson said. "I do think my filly has come on quite a bit since the Oaks run (fourth), but she'll need to have."
The Kiwi flavour extends to the other Maryborough feature, the $50,000 Redwood Classic, with Mark and Nathan Purdon's High Step in gate six.
The filly's manners have been a highlight on this trip, and she looks like a key player in an open Redwood.
Other highlights of the Redwood meeting will be the return of 2021 Inter Dominion winner Maori Law and injury-plagued young star Plymouth Chubb in the Peter Egan Bi-Rite Free-For-All (2190m).
Maori Law hasn't raced since finishing second in the Australasian Trotters' Championship final at Melton on September 10, last year.
Plymouth Chubb, who won a heat of the Great Southern Star earlier this year, last raced when winning the Group 2 Knight Pistol at Melton on February 11.
