Trainer Trevor Rogers appears unfazed by his capable galloper Roulette King being an emergency for an upcoming Flemington race.
Roulette King holds the first emergency position for the Listed Paris Lane Stakes (1400m) scheduled for Saturday, with the weather outlook seemingly in his favour.
At the point of acceptances on Wednesday, the Flemington track was graded a Good 3. However, forecasts indicate 10 to 25mm of rain is expected at Flemington on Thursday, followed by 9-30mm 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 stated.
Roulette King boasts an impressive record of four wins from his five starts. The recently turned four-year-old gelding is being prepared for the lucrative $10 million Group 1 Golden Eagle (1500m) at Randwick on October 31.
Rogers opted against entering Roulette King for the Caulfield Cup and Cox Plate, believing the gelding is better suited to target those prestigious races as a more seasoned five-year-old next year.
Saturday’s race will mark Roulette King’s first appearance since claiming the Alister Clark Stakes (2000m) at Caulfield back in March.
With the Golden Eagle as the campaign’s main objective, Rogers was keen to avoid having 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 leading up to his return. Rogers drew inspiration from his former mentor, John Size, by taking the gelding to Pakenham for a jump-out.
Rogers recalled Size’s belief that travelling 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 commented.
“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 mentioned that Jamie Mott worked diligently to make the 54kg weight to partner Roulette King on Saturday and has a confirmed booking for the gelding in the Golden Eagle. Punters can find the best racing odds at leading Australian betting sites.
