Scarlett Lady Pleases Rogerson

Queensland Oaks winner Scarlett Lady continues to please trainer Graeme Rogerson ahead of an ambitious spring campaign which begins in the Group One Challenge Stakes at Hastings on August 27.

Scarlett Lady will have an exhibition gallop in New Zealand before making her comeback in the 1200m feature in which she will clash with two of New Zealand's best, Group One winners Wall Street and Jimmy Choux.

Boom New Zealand apprentice James McDonald is set to continue his association with the daughter of Savabeel after winning six times on the filly.

Rogerson gave Scarlett Lady a short break following her Queensland Oaks triumph at Eagle Farm in June and has no regrets about not extending her winter campaign to include the Group One Queensland Derby, won by stablemate Shootoff.

"She only had two and a half weeks off after the Oaks and she's going to gallop between races before she returns in the Challenge Stakes," Rogerson said.

"She'll be competitive in anything she runs in this campaign. She certainly is a pretty good filly and she looks good.

"She has put on some weight since the Oaks in Brisbane and after the Challenge Stakes she'll go to Australia and run in the Underwood Stakes and then the Turnbull before the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups.

"Max Whitby owns her and it was his decision, which I fully supported, not to run in the Derby."

Rogerson says it is too early in Scarlett Lady's career to determine if she's as good as former champion New Zealander Ethereal who won the Queensland Oaks in 2001 before going on to claim the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups the same year.

"Scarlett Lady won the Travis and Breeders Stakes and has done everything we've asked of her," Rogerson said.

"Her next five starts are all Group Ones and if she happened to go on to win the two Cup races then we can talk about her in the same breath as Ethereal.

"But Ethereal didn't win the weight-for-age races in New Zealand before she went to Australia but she did win the two big Cups over there.

"I suppose she's won more than Ethereal right now but she hasn't won the two Cups yet."

Rogerson will send Shootoff to Sydney for the major spring races before he tackles the Cox Plate at Moonee Valley in October.

"He'll run in the weight-for-age races in Sydney before going to Melbourne for the Cox Plate," Rogerson said.

"He doesn't have to improve much.

"He got on the wrong leg in the (Group One) Doomben Cup when a horse kept coming out and bumping him.

"It was a very good run to finish fourth in that race before he won the Derby.

"I'll nominate him for the Cups races as well but next year might be his year."

Last year's Melbourne Cup runner-up Maluckyday is favourite with corporate bookmakers to go one better in 2011 with Scarlett Lady second elect in some markets but behind Shamrocker and Lights Of Heaven in others.