Solidify notched up his fifth career victory on Saturday when taking out the New World Otaki Handicap (2100m) for trainers Graeme and Debbie Rogerson.
The three-year-old son of Redwood was eased back early to sit midfield by jockey Johnathan Riddell, who bided his time before pressing the go button at the 600m mark, launching his charge three-wide to loop the field. Solidify continued his momentum down the straight to score a 1-1/2 length victory over Phats, with a further half neck back to Princess Elly in third.
Solidify was building into a return to the winner’s stall, having placed in his four runs since the Gr.1 New Zealand Derby (2400m) in March, including a runner-up effort behind subsequent Gr.1 Queensland Derby (2400m) placegetter Moonlight Magic in the Gr.3 Championship Stakes (2100m).
“He’s getting better, he raced well and he’s starting to become a stayer,” Graeme Rogerson said.
“He hasn’t been straightforward, he can race a bit fierce, and he is learning. He had no luck in the Derby, he got caught out wide and everything went wrong. It might have been a bit soon for him too. His runs since then have all been good. We have persevered with him to make him into a staying horse.”
Rogerson is undecided on Solidify’s next step, with the Hamilton horseman weighing up between a few winter assignments or a freshen-up.
“I haven’t decided where we will head, we will just play it by ear. He will tell us,” he said.
“He might run at Tauranga in the Open race and we might look at the Taumarunui Gold Cup. If we decided to put him out now, I decided to put in a nomination for the Winter Cup (Gr.3, 1600m).”
Looking ahead to racing at Cambridge’s synthetic meeting on Wednesday, Rogerson is looking forward to lining up a quartet of juveniles in the Entain/NZB Insurance Pearl Series 1300, including three by his resident sire Ferrando – Skymax, Chance Encounter and Karyon.
“They (Ferrandos) are not really two-year-olds,” Rogerson said. “There are a few out spelling that look like they are going to be really good.
“Skymax is not really a two-year-old, but we have put the blinkers on and he will run a race. Chance Encounter can gallop a bit and they are a chance, and Karyon has got ability, but I think they are a staying horse in the making.”
Vancouver filly Orange River will round out the stable’s quartet in the race.
“Orange River really wants racing,” Rogerson said.
Also on the Cambridge card, Mr Universe will be vying to make it back-to-back wins on the polytrack in the Cambridge Equine Hospital 1300, where he will be joined by stablemate Drum Major.
“Mr Universe likes the synthetic,” Rogerson said. “He is a handy old horse and if he puts his best foot forward, he is always a chance.”
Rogerson is also looking forward to watching All The Rage and Villon compete in the Pryde’s Easifeed 2000, and Hutson and Jivetalkin in the Entain/NZB Insurance Pearl Series 1550.
“Hutson is a chance in race two, he was unlucky the other day, and Jivetalkin has got to lean to be a racehorses. Villon and All The Rage are horses getting ready to run over ground.”
