The lightly raced Just As Sharp went to another level at Te Rapa on Saturday and co-trainer Graeme Rogerson is confident the Swiss Ace three-year-old is a genuine Group 1 prospect.
The gelding had won two of his previous starts and handled the rise to stakes company with aplomb with a hollow victory in the Listed Trevor & Coralie Eagle Memorial over 1500 metres.
He was bred by Westbury Stud principal Gerry Harvey, who remains in the ownership group, which also includes a proud Rogerson whose 22-year-old grand-daughter Bailey was in the saddle for her first stake success.
“That was special, but I would rather she was a trainer than a jockey but I can’t stop her now, she’s too old,” Rogerson said.
Just As Sharp was a debut winner on the all-weather track at Cambridge and doubled his tally two runs later when he beat older opposition at Rotorua.
In between times, he finished third in age group company at Ruakaka behind the unbeaten G1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas winner Crocetti.
“I think he has got a hell of a lot more improvement, he has the makings of a very good horse and I was disappointed the day he got beaten by Crocetti, so he got gelded,” Rogerson said.
“I think he is a real Derby horse and with any luck he’ll be running in it, but he will go to the Karaka Million 3YO next and then we will look at the Derby."
Just As Sharp drifted back to the tail of the field from his outside gate before picking up ground near the turn and he produced a powerhouse finish to overwhelm his rivals and deliver a 17th individual stakes winner for Swiss Ace.
“That was pretty neat and the plan had been to head forward and slot in, but he slipped out of the gates,” Bailey Rogerson said.
“That plan went out of the window, but when I let him rip on the turn he really took off and found the line."
“His breeding suggest he shouldn’t go much further, but I think he will, as he is very promising."
“Being such a big race, this is very special and it’s good to get one for Grandad.”
Just As Sharp was purchased out of Westbury’s draft at Karaka last year for $145,000 by Rogerson and is a son of the stakes winning More Than Ready mare Readyor.
She is a half-sister to the Listed Eskimo Prince Stakes winner Agister with their grand-dam the five-time Group 1 winner Triscay and Alizee and Astern are other top-flight winning members of the family.
Readyor’s unraced two-year-old daughter of Tarzino has been named Tarzador after she was also bought at Karaka by Rogerson for $145,000.
Swiss Ace was also to the fore in Singapore on Saturday evening when the Richard Lim-trained Groovy posted the third victory of his career when successful over 1200 metres at Kranji.