Trainer Trevor Rogers is expressing minimal concern regarding his capable gelding, Roulette King, being placed as an emergency for an upcoming Flemington race.
Roulette King currently holds the first emergency spot for the Listed Paris Lane Stakes over 1400 metres on Saturday, and the prevailing weather forecast appears to be in his favour.
At the time of acceptances on Wednesday, the Flemington track was categorised as a Good 3. However, predictions indicate a likelihood of 10 to 25mm of rain falling at Flemington on Thursday, with an additional 9-30mm expected on Friday and 3-15mm on Saturday.
“I’m tipping the way the weather is going to be in the next couple of days, there will be a good chance of him getting into the race,” Rogers remarked.
Roulette King has demonstrated his class with four wins from his five career starts. This recently turned four-year-old gelding is being meticulously prepared for the highly anticipated $10 million Group 1 Golden Eagle (1500m) at Randwick, scheduled for October 31.
Rogers consciously chose not to enter Roulette King for the prestigious Caulfield Cup and Cox Plate. His reasoning is that the gelding is better positioned to contest these major races as a more experienced five-year-old in the subsequent year.
Saturday’s engagement will represent Roulette King’s initial race since his impressive victory in the Alister Clark Stakes (2000m) at Caulfield in March.
With the Golden Eagle being the principal objective for this campaign, Rogers was careful not to have Roulette King race too early in his preparation.
“He is a horse that is a mile (1600m), mile-and-a-quarter (2000m) type of horse, so I didn’t want him to be racing too early and have him looking for 1800 (metres) or 2000 when I’m trying to win over 1500 metres,” Rogers explained.
“That’s why he’s racing Saturday over the 1400 (metres) and I want to see him at that trip.
“He has won twice at the trip before, but it was down in the grades, and this time he’s first-up against better quality horses.
“I want to see if he’s got a good enough turn of foot to warrant going to the Golden Eagle or whether I just think about pressing him up in ground.
“I didn’t bother with the Cox Plate or Caulfield Cup this year as I don’t think he’s seasoned enough, but they could be races for him next year if he keeps going the way he’s going.
“I thought 1500 metres, against his own age, for very good money, it was worth a shot, and after Saturday, if he shows enough ping, I’ve got four weeks to freshen him up again, for the Golden Eagle.
“Plus, he’s only four once.”
Roulette King has completed four trials in preparation for his seasonal reappearance. Rogers drew inspiration from his former mentor, John Size, by arranging for the gelding to participate in a jump-out at Pakenham.
Rogers recounted Size’s consistent assertion that transporting a horse ‘makes them grow another leg’.
“He had eight weeks in the paddock after the Alister Clark, and it took a while to get him fit enough for Saturday and he’s still not wound up yet,” Rogers stated.
“That’s why I want to take him to the races, to have a look at him, and see if I’ll have him ready in a month’s time.
“He’s such a laid-back horse. He doesn’t switch on in his trials and in his last one, he just bowled around, but Motty said if he pulled him out and gave him one around the bum, he would have won it, but we’re not about that (winning trials).”
Rogers highlighted the considerable effort by Jamie Mott to make the 54kg weight for Roulette King on Saturday and confirmed Mott’s booking for the gelding in the Golden Eagle. Bet on the upcoming races with the best betting sites and apps with sign-up bonus in Australia.