Roi D’Jeu Targets Queensland For Winter Campaign

New Zealand galloper Roi D’Jeu has set his sights on Queensland after his second place effort at Rosehill last weekend.

The six-year-old placed second behind Adroitly in the $100,000 Stayers Cup in what was the fourth race starts of his campaign.

Trainer Craig Ritchie was more than happy with the result.

“I never gave us any sort of hope to beat the winner, I thought we would or should run second but I thought Adroitly over that distance on that sort of track was going to be clearly a better horse than us,” he said.

Roi D’Jeu stepped up to 3,200 metre in his last start and Ritchie was not eager to drop him down in distance too steeply.

The 2,400 metre Caloundra Cup has been highlighted as a possible target for Roi D’Jeu on June 30, however, the Montjeu gelding will most likely line up for the Queensland Cup on July 7.

The Listed Queensland Cup is a quality handicap over 3,200 metres and is expected to greatly suit Roi D’Jeu.

“There’s probably not much left for him now in Sydney it’s pretty hard to bring a horse back to say 2200 or 2000m especially if the track gets a bit better, they lose their zip once they race the way he’s raced the other day,” Ritchie said.

“Two miles at Eagle Farm is probably his go I think.

“I don’t think Eagle Farm would have to be wet for him to be competitive there but Caloundra probably would, I wouldn’t want a good track at Caloundra.”

Roi D’Jeu will be looking to post his first race win since January when he takes on his Queensland opposition, with that victory coming in the Thames Cup in New Zealand.

He will also be out to post his first win for Ritchie, who took over training from Shaune Ritchie in May.

Roi D’Jeu is now based permanently at New South Wales’s Warwick Farm.

The gelding has won eight of his 32 race starts and has earned more than $160,000 in prize money.

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