A Gr.1 Queensland Derby mission is on the radar for trainer Cliff Brown with last Saturday’s Caulfield winner Rogan (NZ) (Super Seth).
Under jockey Patrick Moloney, Rogan finished well from back in the field to narrowly win Saturday’s 2000m handicap for three-year-olds.
It was a second career win, at his ninth start, and first city success for Rogan, who is by Super Seth and is a half-brother to stakes-winning stablemate Von Hauke.
“He’s a natural young stayer horse and he was really pleasing (yesterday),” Brown said on Sunday. “I thought he did a good job.”
Rogan was sent out a $31 chance in Saturday’s race, but Brown felt the gelding had been going well, having won a Kilmore maiden over 1600m two starts ago before running fourth at Cranbourne, in a 2025m race won by Hurricane Georgie, in what was his first try beyond 1600m.
The Mornington-based trainer said the gelding appears to have come through Saturday’s win in “really good” fashion.
“He ate up last night, so he’ll probably head up to Brisbane and he might run in the Derby up there,” Brown said.
The Queensland Derby is at Eagle Farm on May 31 over 2400m, and Brown said he was unsure yet whether Rogan would have a lead-up in Brisbane should he head to the Derby.
“Pat Moloney said he’d get a mile-and-a-half easy,” Brown said.
While Rogan pressed his claims for a Queensland Derby campaign at Caulfield, stablemate Scintillante (NZ) (Savabeel) finished fourth in Saturday’s Gr.1 South Australian Derby (2500m) at Morphettville which was won by the Phillip Stokes-trained filly Femminile.
Scintillante could get another chance at a Derby, with Brown saying Queensland is also an option for him.
“I thought he was tremendous,” Brown said of Scintillante’s SA Derby run.
“As (jockey) Billy Egan said, it was stop-start, he over-raced a little bit, but he was really good late.
“He was still closing, so I thought he was great.
“He might go up to Brisbane as well. We’ll just see how he does.”
Brown has Queensland plans for Rogan’s half-brother Von Hauke (NZ) (Savabeel), with the trainer pinpointing the Listed Bernborough Handicap (1600m) at Doomben as a planned next target for the five-year-old gelding, who was a close fourth in the Listed Bendigo Golden Mile (1600m) at his most recent start on April 12.
“He was very unlucky that day, but he’s been really good since,” Brown said.
“He’ll have a trial next week and he’ll go to Brisbane too.
“There’s a mile race on the 17th (May) and he’ll look to run in that.”