Roulette King has been instrumental in teaching Trevor Rogers the art of refusal, a skill the Cranbourne trainer never anticipated would lead to an increase in his stable size.
The reward for his dedication to his undeveloped four-year-old came when one prospective buyer, after being denied the chance to purchase Roulette King, offered Rogers a horse to train instead.
Rogers accepted the unexpected offer, gaining a horse from one of the many well-funded owners who had shown interest in Roulette King, a situation he considers fortunate as he still retains the talented colt.
“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 son of Ghaiyyath, arrived at Rogers’ stable from Lindsay Park and is nearing a maiden victory after consecutive third and fourth placings at Sale.
It was at Sale where Roulette King achieved his first win at just his second career start, initiating a remarkable four-race winning streak that extended all the way to the Group 2 Alister Clark Stakes (2000m) at Caulfield on March 21.
The substantial offers began to flood in following that impressive performance, only intensifying Rogers’ enthusiasm for the potential of the Casino Prince colt, whom owners had secured for a modest $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 entries are released on Tuesday. However, Rogers has his sights firmly set on an even more lucrative prize.
With the $10 million Golden Eagle (1500m) exclusively for four-year-olds, Rogers is eager to give Roulette King the opportunity to prove himself worthy of a shot at this unique event.
The colt is slated to make his reappearance at the jumpouts midway through this month, potentially followed by a 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 contested at Group 1 level for the first time this year, is scheduled to be held at Randwick on October 31.
Those interested in the major spring races can find competitive betting markets for the race at various sports betting platforms.
