Sharp 'N'Smart - you beauty! The 2025 Waikato Cup!

[Chief Stipe]

Well stick that up all the doubters on the other channels!!!

The number of armchair trainers that wrote him off even though the issues were well known.

Brilliant win!!  Class is permanent!!

[Huey]

59kg also ... very impressive 

[Chief Stipe]

1 hour ago, Huey said:

59kg also ... very impressive 

Yep he dug really deep when they came at him.  Great to see him back in that form.  I liked the way Rooke put him into the race early and put the pressure on those behind.  Won him the race.  

Bit of a fast lane on the inside too.

[Chief Stipe]

Sharp ‘N’ Smart takes Waikato Cup in thrilling finish

• 
• 

Kevin Robertson, LOVERACING.NZ News Desk

13 December 2025

Former Gr.1 New Zealand Derby (2400m) winner Sharp ‘N’ Smart returned to the scene of that 2023 triumph to take out the Gr.3 SkyCity Hamilton Waikato Cup (2400m) in a thrilling three-way finish to the Te Rapa staying feature.

A triple Group One winner as a three-year-old, the Team Rogerson-prepared son of Redwood hadn’t been seen in the winners’ enclosure since his Derby triumph as the now six-year-old took on the best Australasia had to offer on both sides of the Tasman while also suffering through some injury and illness issues.

A return to form in his current campaign was evident with placings in two of his three most recent starts including finishing third in the Gr.1 Livamol Classic (2040m) before being less than a length from winner Final Return when finishing fourth in the Gr.3 Counties Cup (2100m).

While punters respected his chances on Saturday the 59kg topweight did put a few people off, but it didn’t bother Sharp ‘N’ Smart who settled one off the fence behind pacemaker Sagunto and travelled easily throughout for rider George Rooke.

Rooke began to get busy approaching the home bend as The Odyssey swept into contention and the pair went to war shortly after turning for home.

Just as it looked to be a two-horse war, race favourite Gigi joined in at the 150m and the trio slugged it out to the finish with Sharp ‘N’ Smart putting his head down to edge Gigi with The Odyssey just a head away in third.

Co-trainer Debbie Rogerson cut an emotional figure as she waited for her charge to return to the birdcage.

“I’m so proud of this horse and the team behind this horse as it has been a great journey,” Rogerson said.

“I set him for this race in my home town as we just wanted to win it.

“It was a good run and he was tough, a credit to the horse.

“Everyone has been knocking the horse but they don’t know what has been wrong with him. He had an horrific bacterial virus and it took him twelve months to get over it.

“We gave him a good spell and we knew this time in he was getting back to his best, so it might be back to the Melbourne Cup next year.

“We might look at the Queen Eliabeth (Gr.3, 2400m) next and then the Auckland Cup (Gr.2, 3200m).”

Rooke was also thrilled with how well his mount fought right to the line.

“I knew we had to be more positive today and it has taken me three or four times to get it right with him,” he said.

“He just hit that flat spot about half a mile out and I thought I’d rather commit too soon than not soon enough and he has just out-battled them to be honest.

“When The Odyssey came alongside I was a bit worried but when I fought him off I thought it was going to take a good one to get past him.

“Then I saw Gigi and thought oh no, but he stuck his head down and got it done.”

Bred by Gerry Harvey, Sharp ‘N’ Smart is out of a half-sister to Absalon, who won five races including two Listed victories in Brisbane.

He was a $55,000 purchase from Westbury Stud’s draft in Book 2 at Karaka 2021, then was passed in for $90,000 at the Ready to Run Sale later that year.

He has now won in excess of $3.44 million in prizemoney from his seven career victories.

 

[hesi]

1 hour ago, Chief Stipe said:

Yep he dug really deep when they came at him.  Great to see him back in that form.  I liked the way Rooke put him into the race early and put the pressure on those behind.  Won him the race.  

Bit of a fast lane on the inside too.

6 winners on the inside the other 3 winners 3 out. almost 4 with Gigi

[Chief Stipe]

21 minutes ago, hesi said:

6 winners on the inside the other 3 winners 3 out. almost 4 with Gigi

So you agree on pace and on the inside or as Innes said up and in.  

[Chief Stipe]

Will be interesting to see what the last 600m sectional was.  The time would hold up well in OZ.

[Thomass]

Why on earth did you delete my post about this horse's cheating jockey?

Without cheating WOULDN'T have won

[Chief Stipe]

11 hours ago, Thomass said:

Why on earth did you delete my post about this horse's cheating jockey?

Without cheating WOULDN'T have won

It hasn't been deleted - just moved to the Topic you created on the subject.  See below.

As for whether it would have won or not you have no evidence to the contrary.  But you appear to be confused between horse welfare and punter welfare.  I guess you punted on a horse that didn't finish first or second - perhaps the third horse?

[curious]

10 minutes ago, Chief Stipe said:

As for whether it would have won or not you have no evidence to the contrary.  

That's because the useless stipes didn't take any evidence to test @Thomass proposition. How long can it go on?

[Chief Stipe]

Interesting how the Sharp 'N' Smart doubters are now doubling down on their negativity to diminish his performance be it counting whip strikes or degrading the field that he beat.

My initial impression was that performance yesterday was getting near to his best which would make him competitive in Australia.  The race was run in 2:26.5 on a Good 3 which is a good clip for 2400m.  To make a comparison the Australian record of 2:25.3 for 2400m was created by Diatribe winning the Caulfield Cup on a Good 3 carrying 53kg.  S 'N' S ran only 1.2 seconds slower carrying 59kg!  @nomates @Joe Bloggs @Comic Dog 

That Australian record for 2400m has stood for 25 years!  I guess you can tell the skill of a commentator, ex-Jockey or ex-Trainer by the comments they make.  In that regard Leithal Innes had a good day yesterday picking Sharp 'N' Smart and First Five.

[curious]

Yes. Interesting. I thought it was a top run as I have almost all his steadily improving recovery runs. Top job by the Rogerson team imo.

[hesi]

Part of the SNS anti, will be a Rogerson anti 

[Chief Stipe]

27 minutes ago, curious said:

Yes. Interesting. I thought it was a top run as I have almost all his steadily improving recovery runs. Top job by the Rogerson team imo.

 

12 minutes ago, hesi said:

Part of the SNS anti, will be a Rogerson anti 

Yes some of the Anti comes from the tall poppy slayers and much from a reaction to Rogie's personality.  Every horse Rogie has that wins he says "I really think this horse is going places and is a potential champion"!  A great salesman.  Unfortunately in recent years the stables strike rate has dropped a lot.

I was in the winners bar post race celebrating a win at Te Aroha.  Rogie had run second.  The race was in memory of some recently departed committee members of the Club.  Rogie had come in to pass on his respects to family and friends.  When he left I made a light hearted comment about how every horse Rogie has is going to be a champion.  Boy did I get a passionate lecture on Rogie's virtues!

Not long after that I saw a Trackside interview of George Simon in which he made special mention of Rogie.  The story about when George started out and only had a pair of toy binoculars.  Rogie was heading to Hong Kong for racing and asked George what he needed.  George said a better pair of binoc's.  Rogie asked him what is the best that you can get?  A couple of weeks later when Rogie got back from HK he handed George a pair of the best binoculars money could buy.  Since then I've heard a lot of very similar stories.

But congratulations on getting S 'N' S back to somewhere near his best.  Funny the same day my friend was standing next to Frank Ritchie in the birdcage chatting as their horses paraded in the bird cage.  I said to her did she know who she was talking to?  I said the champion trainer of Bonecrusher.  Frank replied that champion horses make champion trainers not the other way round.  Which is true but few of the armchair experts realise how hard it is to keep a horse racing at the elite level for long.  More often than not something goes wrong and it takes a lot of work to bring them back.  Congratulations to Team Rogerson for doing that with Sharp 'N' Smart.  

Easy to give up, rest on past acheivements and not persevere but by all accounts the horse still loves to race and that is what he was bred to do.  

 

[Murray Fish]

55 minutes ago, hesi said:

Part of the SNS anti, will be a Rogerson anti 

Please expand on that??? 

I thought the guy was a saint!

[hesi]

See above

[Thomass]

2 hours ago, Chief Stipe said:

Interesting how the Sharp 'N' Smart doubters are now doubling down on their negativity to diminish his performance be it counting whip strikes or degrading the field that he beat.

My initial impression was that performance yesterday was getting near to his best which would make him competitive in Australia.  The race was run in 2:26.5 on a Good 3 which is a good clip for 2400m.  To make a comparison the Australian record of 2:25.3 for 2400m was created by Diatribe winning the Caulfield Cup on a Good 3 carrying 53kg.  S 'N' S ran only 1.2 seconds slower carrying 59kg!  @nomates @Joe Bloggs @Comic Dog 

That Australian record for 2400m has stood for 25 years!  I guess you can tell the skill of a commentator, ex-Jockey or ex-Trainer by the comments they make.  In that regard Leithal Innes had a good day yesterday picking Sharp 'N' Smart and First Five.

Thats over 7 1/2 Lengths

Does 6kgs = 7 1/2?

#yeana

[Chief Stipe]

1 minute ago, Thomass said:

Thats over 7 1/2 Lengths

Blah blah blah.  The old 1 second equals 6 length theory....

What about the theory that it is harder to carry 59kg over 2400m than over 1400m?

Oh great form guru - how many Caulfield Cups have been won quicker than the Waikato Cup was run yesterday?

If you don't think the performance yesterday was a top one then keep looking for excuses for your betting strategies!