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Graeme Rogerson has seen promising signs that Sharp ‘N’ Smart is rediscovering the form that earned him Horse of the Year honours as a three-year-old, but Saturday’s Gr.1 Turnbull Stakes (2000m) at Flemington will put his resurgence to the test.
The Redwood gelding won five of his eight starts as a three-year-old, three of them at Group One level. He captured the Spring Champion Stakes (2000m) in Sydney, then defeated older rivals in the Herbie Dyke Stakes (2000m) before completing his elite treble in the New Zealand Derby (2400m). He also won the Gr.3 Gloaming Stakes (1600m) and was runner-up in the Gr.1 Victoria Derby (2500m) and Gr.1 Thorndon Mile (1600m), and he closed out his superb season with a fourth in unsuitable heavy track conditions in the Gr.1 Australian Derby (2400m).
Sharp 'N' Smart was a long way off that form during an illness-plagued four-year-old season, collecting just one third placing from six disappointing starts. But his first two starts as a five-year-old have hinted at a welcome turnaround.
After resuming with an eye-catching late finish behind the placegetters in the Gr.2 Foxbridge Plate (1200m), Sharp 'N' Smart carried 63.5kg into a gallant second in a 1600m open handicap at Te Rapa on September 15. He was beaten by a long neck by Islington Lass, who had only 54kg on her back.
"I think he's back," Rogerson said. "He had that bacterial viral issue that caused him a lot of problems last season, but he's put all that behind him. He looks fantastic, the horse.
"He trialled up nicely and has gone well in his first couple of races. It was a super performance under his big weight last time. It's so far, so good.
"I think he'll run well this weekend, but this race will really tell us how he's going. There's nine Group One winners in the field, so that's going to test him. But I don't see any reason why he won't put in a strong performance."
Rogerson will use Saturday's A$750,000 weight-for-age feature as a guide when it comes to shaping the rest of Sharp 'N' Smart's spring campaign.
"His performance in the Turnbull will help us decide where we go with him from here," he said. "He's qualified for the Melbourne Cup (Gr.1, 3200m), but hasn't met the qualification criteria for the Caulfield Cup (Gr.1, 2400m). He'll need to run in the first three in the Turnbull to go there.
"We could look at the Cox Plate (Gr.1, 2040m), or there's races like the Geelong Cup (Gr.3, 2400m) and Moonee Valley Gold Cup (Gr.2, 2500m). We've got a range of options to choose from, and I think we'll know a lot more after this weekend."
Sharp 'N' Smart was bred by Westbury Stud owner Gerry Harvey and was bought by Rogerson Bloodstock for $55,000 at Karaka 2021. His 20-race career has produced six wins, six placings and more than $3.1 million in stakes.
