Rogers’ judgement could deliver Roll The Dice Racing their first Group 1
Jeremy Rogers is a self-confessed racing nut.
The son of a racing journalist, he grew up in South Australia and has lived and breathed the game since he was a young boy.
“I’ve been going to the races since I was five years old and have always loved racing.
“Apart from my eight-year-old son, racing is my whole life. I have three channels on my TV at home, Fox Footy, the cricket and racing. I wouldn’t know what’s happening in the world,” laughed Rogers.
A lifetime of observation and study paid off for Rogers on Saturday at Randwick when Profiteer (Capitalist) skipped away to win the $2 million Inglis Millennium (RL, 1100m).
It was his astute horse judgement that saw Roll The Dice Racing take a risk and venture above their usual budget to purchase the Capitalist (Written Tycoon) colt at last year’s Inglis Classic Yearling Sale.
“I did like him a lot. He had a great attitude. I saw him two to three times. Every time he just got out and walked, there was never any jacking up or jumping around and he just did his job. He had a good walk, a good body and he was a nice horse.
“He looks a lot like his father and is out of a stakes–placed Snitzel mare. I thought if he’s any good he does have the pedigree of a stallion.”
Rogers labels Merrick Staunton and John Foote as the greatest influences on his ability to select top horses. He worked closely with the esteemed pair during his tenure with the Darren Weir stable.
With the benefit of that experience and using the knowledge he’s acquired through stints with Waikato Stud, Shadwell Stud and Derrinstown Stud in Ireland, he’s been successfully specialising in selecting yearlings for the past ten years.
Profiteer is shaping as the best horse he’s ever picked out and now the liver chestnut flying machine is favourite for the Golden Slipper Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m).
Should he win the world’s richest two-year-old race, his value as a future stallion at Newgate Farm, where he was bred and raised, will be assured.
Newgate’s managing director Henry Field, who only recently crunched a deal with the colt’s large syndicate of owners to secure him for his roster, couldn’t have timed his run any better.
“He’s certainly the real deal and couldn’t have been more impressive. He was quite phenomenal,” said Field of Profiteer’s blistering success at Randwick on Saturday.
Now at the top of the current crop of two-year-olds racing in Australia, Field remembers Profiteer being a standout when he was younger.
“He was a gorgeous foal and developed into a nice yearling. He was a really clean, good moving, nice horse. We brought him to that sale to be a stand out Capitalist of the sale.
“I thought he was very well bought by Roll The Dice.”
On the advice of Rogers, Roll The Dice Racing paid $165,000 for Profiteer, making him the dearest horse they have ever purchased at a yearling sale and that’s already paid off in spades with a rich stallion deal now done.
Next, they are hoping the horse can emulate his sire Capitalist by winning the Slipper and also deliver the syndication company its first Group 1 winner on March 20 at Rosehill.