New Zealand's golden spring at Australia's rich racing carnivals continued when Sharp 'N' Smart defied the odds to win an A$2 million race in Sydney yesterday.
The Waikato galloper trained by legendary horseman Graeme Rogerson and his wife Debbie overcame being trapped three wide for the entire 2000m of theSpring Champion Stakes at Royal Randwick.
It was his second stunning display in Sydney in the space of 10 days, having won the A$500,000 Gloaming Stakes at Warwick Farm last week, and he will now aim for the even more prestigious A$2m Victoria Derby at Flemington next Saturday.
That means taking on fellow Kiwi and Derby favourite Mr Maestro, one of the other New Zealand gallopers who has contributed to an enormously more successful spring than Kiwi race fans could have hoped, after so many Kiwi Group 1 stars were retired last season.
Now two of that new generation will clash in that Derby next week, on a day when other stars La Crique and She's Licketysplit will be favoured in the A$1m Empire Rose to fly the New Zealand flag even higher.
Rogerson, one of the most successful trainers in New Zealand racing history, isn't fazed by having to put Sharp 'N' Smart on a transporter to Melbourne on Monday.
"I think he will go down there and win it," says Rogerson.
"He will love the 2500m and he will be even better on a drier track."
Sharp 'N' Smart has now won four of his seven starts and looks destined to spend much of the rest of his career racing in Australia where million-dollar targets could become the norm for him.
With his ability to handle wet or dry tracks, travel without seemingly turning a hair and with a distance range probably between 1600m and even up to 3200m, Sharp 'N' Smart has all the tools needed to be a serious player in Australia.
His win started another proud hour for New Zealand racing fans, as soon after expat jockey James McDonald showed why he is rated the best in the world with a perfect ride to win the A$5m Cox Plate on Anamoe, beating Kiwi-bred I'm Thunderstruck.
McDonald had Anamoe perfectly positioned one out and one back and timed his run to put a winning break on his rivals at the 200m, giving McDonald one of last of Australia's iconic races he had yet to win.
He really only has the Caulfield Cup left to add to his trophy cabinet of the majors in Australian racing.
In just over a year the Kiwi-born jockey has ridden the winners of The Everest, Melbourne Cup and now Cox Plate, as well as the Kings Stand at Royal Ascot.
