Past the post with John Elsegood CAN KNUCKEY DO IT?

That is the question after the senior jockey, once again had a fine day completing a double at Belmont's opening meeting on May 5.

In fact Knuckey almost won another treble as he did at the last meeting of the season at Ascot on April 28.

The polished hoop was successful on rising staying prospect Chester Road (2000m) in the first and won the fourth on Come Party (1600m). In between he only lost the second race, for babies, by the proverbial whisker when Saturday Skies was beaten by Theoria (Kyra Yuill) after both of them flooded home late to oust Black Truffle from the major prize.

William Pike, a clear leader with 67 metropolitan wins has removed himself from the local scene by going to Hong Kong.

After that May 5 meeting Knuckey had moved to 45 wins but has failed to add to his tally in two meetings since and still needs to ride another 23 winners, in virtually the same amount of meetings (22), to snatch victory from WP.

The trainers race is tighter with Jim Taylor (31) being subjected to an assault by Adam Durrant (31) with Simon Miller (23) best of the rest.

Knuckey and Durrant had combined twice on April 28, en route to their respective trebles, and that duo struck convincingly again at the opening May 5 fixture at Belmont with Chester Road.

Durrant continued his roll with another double on May 12 with Mr Moet and Texan with Peter Hall on both.

Knuckey's best effort on that day was runner-up in the last, behind stablemate Texan, on Silver Trader.

Texan's win gave that gelding back-to-back victories because he also won the last race of Ascot's season on April 28.

The gelding has had his problems but is a tough sprinter that has overcome hoof problems with the aid of fibre glass and training skill.

Durrant said, after Mr Moet won, that as classy stayer Chester Road would probably have one more start before a spell that Mr Moet would be stepped up in distance.

Durrant has held-up racing Mr Moet over more ground because he has had Chester Road and Hibernian going over the longer journey.

Durrant expects both of these to be contenders for some of the summer staying plums at Ascot.

The trainer also had time to criticise the rating system, particularly with late changes of weights through scratchings and said owners and trainers should be shown a bit more respect, "not just the punting public and the product all the time."

That comment raised a few eyebrows with some in the members stand but at least Durrant can't be accused of being bland in his comments.

'WOLFE MAN'

'The Wolfe Man' and 'The Shooter' (Steve Wolfe and Shaun McGruddy) still continue in fine form combining, on Saturday, with unbeaten Kalahaar, a galloper that made it three from three.

Kalahaar will be set for the Belmont Guineas on June 23.

Rogano - There is no doubt

Rogano – there is no doubt!

Oakland Park Stud's new stallion Rogano has the credentials to make it in the breeding barn. Under the care of the successful breeder Neville Duncan, this full brother to Not A Single Doubt, Champion first season sire (by winners) will be given every opportunity to rise through the Western Australian stallion ranks.

As a yearling Rogano was offered for sale by Arrowfield Stud at the 2008 Magic Million Sales where he was passed in for $650,000 with a reserve of $800,000. Arrowfield Stud kept him to race in their colours.

Rogano's race track career was short. Unfortunately, he was not able to showcase to the racing public the depth of his natural ability. What we did see was enough to validate the fact he was a fast racehorse. His trainer Paul Messara was asked what Rogano's best asset was as a racehorse – Messara pointed to the colt's speed. Messara said, "he has lightning gate speed ... I think he is the fastest horse I've had ... he has pure speed."

Rogano had racing scribes waiting with anticipation for his first race start after three impressive trial wins; winning his second trial by 5.5 lengths and his third trial by 7 lengths.

Rogano did not let the scribes down when he stepped out in a two year race at Canterbury on a heavy nine track to win by 2.5 lengths. This was his only two year old start. After the race, Messara was quoted "He is very talented and one of the best in my stable ... that was an excellent effort for a first start, especially on a heavy track". Jockey Blake Shin said, 'he is a very smart two year old, very professional and does everything right".

Rogano returned to Canterbury eight months later for his second race start and again saluted the judge. His next start saw him run fifth beaten 2.5 lengths in the Listed Darby Munro Stakes at Rosehill. He had one more start that campaign and was not seen again at the race track for eleven months when he returned at Hawkesbury and won again - maintaining his perfect first up record.

Rogano finished his career with a record of 8 starts for 3 wins, 1 third, 1 fourth and 1 fifth.

Being a full brother to Not A Single Doubt, he is bred to be a success at stud, being by stallion maker Redoute's Choice, the World's leading Danzig sire line stallion. Redoute's Choice has so far produced 10 sons that have stakes winning progeny, including Stratum, Snitzel, Bradbury's Luck, Duelled and of course Rogano's full brother Not A Single Doubt.

Rogano has an interesting claim to stand on – he is the only current stallion at Stud in Australia, who can boast four champion two or three-year olds in his immediate dam line. They are Snippets (Lunchtime), Champion 3YO sprinter in Australia and New Zealand, Forensics (Flying Spur) Champion 2YO Australia and New Zealand, Zizou (Fusaichi Pegasus) Champion 2YO Australia and New Zealand, and of course, his full brother Not A Single Doubt (Redoute's Choice) Champion First Season Sire (by winners).

Rogano is also the half-brother to black type performed mares Hanky Panky and Natural Is My Name. Both mares have made an impact in the breeding barn themselves, with Hanky Panky producing the Listed winners Come Hither and Fun In Flight. Natural is My Name is the dam of Zizou.

Rogano's dam, Singles Bar is a Rory's Jester mare and is a half-sister to the Snippets. Singles Bar was a Victorian metropolitan winner of two races at two years of age. She is the daughter of the influential dam Easy Date. Aside from Snippets, Easy Date is the dam of Quick Score, a multiple group winner and sire, True Blonde, a stakes winner and dam of 8 winners including the stakes winner Regrowth and Asawir, a stakes winner and dam of 10 winners including being the grand dam of Group 1 winner Rewaaya.

Back to Rogano's full brother Not A Single Doubt, his growing record of success at Stud sheds light on what possibilities may lay in front of Rogano.

In four racing crops Not A Single Doubt has notched up 9 individual stakes winners and 13 individual stakes placed performers, including the Singapore Group 1 winner Always Certain, Group 3 winner and Group 1 placed Squamosa, Group 3 winner and Group 2 placed Karuta Queen, Group 3 winner and Group 2 placed Doubtful Jack, Group 3 winner Castlethorpe and WA's very own stakes winner Single Spice.

Not A Single Doubt was Champion Australian First Season Sire (by winners). He was second on the Australian 2YO Sires' List in 2011, second on the Australian Third Season Sires' List in 2011, and fifth on the Australian Second Season Sires' List in 2010. This season he currently sits sixth on the Australian 2YO sires' list.

Quality mares already booked to Rogano for this season, include:

Jestatune - stakes winning mare Rory's Jester mare whose first foal by O' Reilly was sold by Oakland Park Stud at the Perth 2012 Magic Millions Sales, she has a Lonhro foal on its ways.

Alozie - dam of Karrakatta Plate winner Gold Rocks.

Gran Bella - a half-sister to Oakland Park Stud's million dollar earner Grand Nirvana from the super mare Paradise Park.

Ebony Magic - a stakes winning full - sister to blue hen mare Most Secret.

Deep Time - dam of Group 1 winner No Wine No Song and stakes winner Atlantic Air.

Evoked - a full sister to world ranked multiple Group winner Spirit of Tara.

Secret's Out - dam of Group 1 performer Translate.

North Girl - from family of Northerly.

Cherrywood - from the Group winning Rory's Jester mare, Canon Song.

Irish Hut - half-sister to Group winners Heather and Peat Bog.

In addition five well-bred stakes winning family mares have just arrived from the Hunter Valley to be covered by Rogano.

Rogano may not have won a stakes race due to his limited race career, but then again, nor did his great, great Grandfather, the breed shaper Danzig, or for that matter the globally influential stallion Red Ransom.

Broodmares owners would do well to follow the lead of Oakland Park Stud and jump in early to Rogano. He has the presence and family history to make a stallion, and with the backing of Oakland Park, we would suggest he may just be worth the punt.

3 May 2012

PHOTO By Sportpix.com

Past the Post with John Elsegood:Trebles again as Ascot season closes

Trebles again as Ascot season closes

This week it was Peter Knuckey and Adam Durrant's turn to dominate Ascot just as Shaun McGruddy and Steve Wolfe had done the week before, on April 21.

At the last fixture at headquarters for the season 'Light Fingers' (Knuckey) set the pattern early with an easy win on the Daniel Pearce-trained Travinator.

Perfectly positioning his charge behind Pure Adrenalin it was all over once the jockey asked Travinator the question and the Mosayter 3yo was in cruise control to win from Palmdale and the early pacemaker.

After three wins and a second from his first campaign Pearce expects him to be a better horse next preparation and he will probably have one more run before going to the paddock for a rest.

Knuckey also proved a winner with another 'Travinator'- Travis Rawlings- who was having his bucks day at the races, pending nuptials this weekend, and he got Knuckey to autograph his shirt after the race.

Obviously the name was a factor in Punter Trav backing Travinator but Rawlings also showed his class by saying the fact that Knuckey was adorned in West Perth Football Club colours (cardinal red with blue sash and cap) was a decisive factor.

The two-legged Travinator will clearly make a discerning husband and hopefully he got on board Knuckey's other winners for the day.

Knuckey fancied his chances of a double in consecutive races with Ron's Call but the odds on favourite never looked like beating Solsay (Hayley Diener) and runner-up Almachino.

Diener took off with Solsay like a scalded cat and defied running down albeit with a bit more space (half length) than when they won by a head on April 7.

Trainer Sharon Taylor said Solsay needed to lead in his races because he had not learned to settle and sit.

"He is very fit and virtually is trained out of a paddock between races but he thinks anything that challenges him in a race has to be taken on at any stage."

That gave Mosayter- sired horses two wins in successive races and it was another 'new sire,' Steven Parnham, who stopped Diener claiming a double in the next race, the fourth (and as she completed a double at Pinjarra two days earlier, she is clearly making the most of her rides).

Parnham has recently become a father and is about to live the life of Ryley (spelling correct), or at least know what it is to live with the little nipper.

So far his judgement has not been affected because he brought Divine Hero home at the right time to just edge out Blitz Off (Diener) by a short neck with Mendicity a half head away in third place.

Trainer Neville Parnham book-ended the race as his more fancied proposition, Pure Heaven, ran last.

Whether the winner stays in the Parnham stable is a moot point. The trainer said he was being sold to Asian interests pending results of a vet check on the previous day to the race.

Super Hawk (Kyra Yuill) continues to roll along for trainer Mark Bairstow and the name of the galloper is rather ironic for a former Geelong footballer-but sensible!

Perhaps roll is the operative word as Yuill rolled her charge nicely off the rails on the bend to put paid to Seth's Blessed in the run to the judge. Rich Ken (the bloke with little hair not the grey beastie with plenty of fur), always a huge fan of Yuill, seemed pleased even though he backed the second horse!

RK reckons Kyra is the best rider we have got now that W.Pike has left the scene.

In the sixth and seventh race Knuckey's skills gave trainer Adam Durrant convincing wins with stayer Chester Road and Mabel Grace, respectively.

At his previous start Chester Road stopped as if shot in the concluding 100m of that 2200m, on April 7, race won by Super Hawk.

This time over 100m less there was no fade out and he won like a favourite should, by almost 3 lengths.

Durrant put his hand up for the earlier loss. Not at his peak and trainer error was the humble answer and then added, "if Chester Road learns to chill out, sit off them and not over race, he could be an exceptional stayer."

Indeed, past the winning post for the time 'Knucks' was leading and appeared to want to ease back but rather than fight the gelding he allowed him to bowl along to the 1400m mark before easing behind Stompin and then into third by the 1100m peg.

However, when 'light fingers' asked him for an effort, for home, the race was quickly over.

Trainer and jockey combined immediately again when consistent mare Mabel Grace won her first listed race the Amelia Park- York Stakes (1600m) from Our Old Fella - just when we all thinking the Wolfe-Mc Gruddy show would go on forever.

Owner David Elsegood (no relation) said he always thought the chestnut mare was a genuine miler and given that three of her six wins have come over the journey he is probably right. Something else for Durrant to contemplate!

Regular readers of this column will know that I refer to PR Marketing Manager Jamie Chadwick as 'Mabel' (always consistent) and the sartorially elegant one was awarded equal dress honours with Craig Staples the week before. It was an omen!

This week's winner of the TVH Sartorial, incidentally, was committeman Graham Daws, who has been knocking on the door for some weeks just edging out 'Mabel.'

Durrant brought up his treble, in the last, when Texan (Peter Hall) held off Cassidy Cowboy (Paul Harvey) in a great duel between the two veteran jockeys.

ONE TO WATCH: Night Train, a galloper that rattled home late to run second in the first race behind the Robert Harvey-trained Mister Panon (Clint Harvey). Held up for a run at the 200m it was a-be-on-me- next-time run.