Trots Centre: Track's little sis gets her shot in the spotlight

It will be heart-in-mouth stuff for Colin Rogers tonight when he floats his iron horse and that champ’s more brittle half-sister to Mildura for tonight’s 11-race card.

While Murranji Track’s been there and won that on 27 previous occasions at his local track, tonight marks only the second start for four-year-old Murranji Moonlight, who made an eye-catching debut almost two years ago but has been unsighted since.

“She had a lot of leg trouble. Had a tear in her deep flexor tendon, she had an operation and it’s been a fair while to get her back,” Rogers said of the now four-year-old mare, who has her second start in tonight’s Mallee Bearings Pace.

Despite being underdone for her return bout she’s expected to carry punters’ favour on the weight of her breeding and, more so, her solitary performance, when she had a terrific duel with talented but ill-fated Mallee Reactor.

“She’s got ability,” Rogers said. “That night they went pretty quick, she made the pace and for a horse having her first start they ran a 56 last half.

“Down the back she had Mallee Reactor off the bit but it gradually told up the straight. Even before that she was really impressive in trials.”

Undoubted talent but, there’s a significant but.

“It’s a pity she’s has got bad legs,” he said. “It is going to be touch and go all the time how long she goes for. She’s good at the moment, no signs of soreness.

“When they get a bit dicky in the legs you have got to be careful. I have had her in work for four and a half months now.

“You always worry every day you look at them. I haven’t asked her to do a hell of a lot. She is a bit underdone, but has a lot of ability.  Nice and long in the barrel, plenty of stretch and a lot of speed. I reckon she’s not far off Murranji Track.”

The latter, as we’ll touch on, is not an attribution Rogers gives lightly and shows his confidence Murranji Moonlight will give a good account when she steps out in race 10 at 10.09pm on Trots Vision tonight.

“It’s not an overly tough race, at her best she could win by 20 metres, but I haven’t pushed her,” he said. “You don’t know where you’re at. We’ve got to look after her. She will slot in, be close, she is pretty strong and got a lot of speed.”

Two races prior, the Zilzie Wines Pace, Rogers’ other entrant, Murranji Track, will look to continue to build on his Mildura legend.

The eight-year-old enters tonight with his 131 starts having delivered 30 wins, 30 seconds and 30 thirds, an extraordinary record.

“He’s an old war horse that fella,” Rogers said. “He’ll be (thereabouts), ran a great race last week when he got hampered and it cost him 20 metres.”

He starts from gate five, inside likely favourite Bernie Winkle and outside Mildura debutant Elmers Hoofing It.

Rogers said he was giving consideration to winding his operation and had one more goal in mind for his long-time stable star.

“He’s been a bloody terrific horse. Helped me along the track. He was there when I was on my knees and put me back on my feet,” he said. “Three more wins and he’d have won 30 races at Mildura and then maybe I’ll retire him.”

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