Roulette King has taught Trevor Rogers the value of saying no, a lesson the Cranbourne trainer never envisioned would result in an expansion of his small racing stable.
The reward for his unwavering stance against selling the untapped four-year-old came when a persistent potential buyer, unable to acquire Roulette King, offered Rogers a horse to train instead.
Rogers accepted the offer, gaining a horse from one of the many well-resourced owners who had been keen on Roulette King. He views this as a bonus, particularly as Roulette King remains in his care.
“I actually had one of the last bidders on the horse more or less said, ‘if I can’t buy him can I give you one’, so he gave me a horse to train,” Rogers stated. “It’s worked out good for me.”
Winsilence, a four-year-old by Ghaiyyath, arrived at Rogers’ stable from Lindsay Park and is close to breaking his maiden status, following a third and a fourth at Sale.
It was at Sale where Roulette King recorded his first victory at his second start, embarking on a four-race winning streak that ultimately led to the Group 2 Alister Clark Stakes (2000m) at Caulfield on March 21.
The significant offers began to pour in after that performance, heightening Rogers’ enthusiasm for the future prospects of the Casino Prince colt, who was secured by owners for $50,000 at the 2024 Inglis Premier Yearling Sale.
Roulette King is expected to be among the nominations for the spring’s premier weight-for-age contest, the $6 million Cox Plate (2040m), when they are released on Tuesday. However, Rogers has his sights set on an even more lucrative event.
With the $10 million Golden Eagle (1500m) restricted to four-year-olds, Rogers is keen to give Roulette King the opportunity to prove his worthiness for this unique chance.
He is scheduled to reappear at jumpouts midway through this month before a potential return in the $175,000 Listed Tontonan Stakes (1400m) at Flemington on September 12.
“It’s hard to go past a race like the Golden Eagle,” Rogers said. “I’m going to probably give him on a run in a benchmark 100 or the Tontonan over 1400 at Flemington to see if he’s got enough ping in his step when he’s fresh to take on those type of horses. If he can race well in that, that gives me plenty of time to freshen him up and take him to Sydney for the 1500. We’ll obviously experiment here first to make sure we’re not going up there for no reason. This preparation is going to tell us a lot about the horse. Everything we’ve asked him, he’s done everything and beyond, so who knows?”
The Golden Eagle, which will be run at Group 1 level for the first time this year, is set to take place at Randwick on October 31.
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