The Northern Territory racing community is mourning the loss of veteran Alice Springs-based trainer Ken Rogerson, who passed away on Saturday from a long illness.
Rogerson, 78, relocated permanently to the Red Centre in 1993 from Victoria and won both the Alice Springs and Darwin Cups on three occasions.
Silver Shark won the 1991 Alice Springs Cup and 1993 Darwin Cup, while Lothaway County won both Cups in 1994 and 1995.
Lothaway County dead-heated for first with Kingston Reserve in the 1995 Darwin Cup.
Jockeys Tom Arnold (1991), Steven King (1994) and Patrick Payne (1995) won the Cup at Fannie Bay in the Top End for Rogerson, while Paul Denton (1993), Wayne Treloar (1994) and David Bates (1995) were the Cup winning riders at Pioneer Park in the Red Centre.
Rogerson was also the trainer of outstanding NT sprinter The Soldier, who clocked a sizzling 56.06 seconds en route to victory over 1000m at Flemington in December 2011.
The Lightning (1000m) held during the Alice Springs Cup Carnival is named in honour of The Soldier – the winner of 27 races from 63 starts.
At times, The Soldier carried upwards of 65kg to victory in the NT – that still didn’t stop him from winning 21 races over 1000m.
“Ken was a master all-round trainer and conditioner,” Thoroughbred Racing Northern Territory chief executive officer Andrew O’Toole said.
“He was a great trainer at setting horses for particular races and getting the win.
“He could train sprinters, stayers and three-year-olds.
“All of his horses always looked a picture.
“When he got to Alice Springs he got going pretty quickly achieving early success by winning a host of races.
“Ken retired in May 2021 and enjoyed a fairytale ending with a winner when Exonerate saluted on Alice Springs Cup Day.”
Rogerson made his first trip to the NT when he took Silver Shark to Darwin in 1991 before deciding to relocate in 1993.
Veteran NT jockey Paul Denton, who has enjoyed success in Darwin and Alice Springs for 40 years, had a close association with Rogerson partnering Silver Shark to victory in the 1993 Alice Springs Cup.
“He was like a second father to me,” he said from Alice Springs on Monday.
“I first met him in 1991 when he took Silver Shark to Darwin.
“I rode the horse in one of his lead up races before he won the Cup.
“Then Ken came back to the NT and settled in Alice Springs where I had the opportunity to ride for him on a regular basis.
“I won a lot of feature races for Ken here in the Territory.
“Wayne Treloar, who rode Lothaway County to victory in an Alice Springs Cup, actually rang up Carroll Hunter, Ken’s partner, today.
“Ken and Wayne were very good mates, it was tough on Saturday and I got to spend time with Carroll, who is also a trainer here in Alice, earlier today.”
Rogerson, a cousin of Melbourne Cup-winning trainer Graeme Rogerson, came from New Zealand and trained at Epsom and Cranbourne before leaving for Central Australia 30 years ago.
He won seven races with 1985 Melbourne Cup winner What A Nuisance, including the 1984 VRC Duke Of Norfolk Stakes and AJC Chairman’s Handicap before the horse broke down after finishing sixth as favourite in the Sydney Cup.
What A Nuisance was transferred to the John Meagher stable and went on to win the Melbourne Cup.
Rogerson won the 1986 VRC St Leger with Enchanteur, 1988 Launceston Cup with Superior Way, and 1992 Grand National Steeplechase and Australian Steeplechase with Donnies Chance.
“Ken also won a lot of big races in the NT such as the Darwin Guineas, ROANT Cup and NT Guineas in Alice Springs, while his partner Carroll Hunter won the Palmerston Sprint with Bowline and the Pioneer Sprint with Dry ‘N’ Sober in 1999,” O’Toole said.
“He had a wonderful career here in the Territory, but the NT Derby eluded him.
“Apart from The Soldier, he also had a number of good horses such as The Tailer, Ken’s Choice, Edge To Edge, Scotch Prince, Jean Rapier, Key’s Jester, Mondo Mel, Superior Way, Eighteen Bombers and of course Exonerate.
“He bought The Tailer at a yearling sale in Alice Springs and with the prizemoney he accumulated he ended up purchasing The Soldier at the same sale the following year.
“The Soldier was a mighty horse, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame here in Darwin a few years ago.
“He ran a slashing time when he won at Flemington – it was one of the fastest times ever over 1000m.
“He also managed two seconds and a fourth at Moonee Valley.
“It’s a pity he never won a Palmerston or Pioneer Sprint, but he was more of a 1000-1100m horse than a 1200m horse, and the big weights just made the task a lot more difficult.”
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