Patient Rogers overcomes feet issues with Kendel’s Mee Dad to win TABtouch Regional Championship Final

Roy Rogers’ patience with Kendel’s Mee Dad paid off after he stormed home to win the $100,000 TABtouch Regional Championship Final: The Road To Ascot (1200m) on Saturday. Foot problems prevented Kendel’s Mee Dad from running in the final of the Skyracing.TV Provincial Championship last season after winning the Great Southern heat in March. However, Rogers worked through those niggling issues and the seven-year-old returned to racing on November 14 where he ran fifth in the Albany heat of the TABtouch Regional Championship. Kendel’s Mee Dad started as a $12 chance in the final at Ascot and was ninth on the home turn in the big field of 15 runners. Jockey Brad Rawiller got the horse to the middle of the track in the home straight and he let down strongly to reel in Scandolo and win by 0.4 lengths. The victory was all the more impressive given Kendel’s Mee Dad carried 61.5kg to victory. “We had planned to try and win the other provincial final at the end of last season but we had a lot of trouble with his feet,” Rogers said. “I was determined to have him spot on for this. “We could have run him in other races but we held off for this and the owners were really patient. “I’m proud of the horse and to represent Albany like that. He’s not bad for a horse who was retired two years ago and had won one race.” Albany had six runners in the TABtouch Regional Championship Final with Dynamite Bay running on well to grab fourth for trainer Gerry Hughes. The Peter Western-trained Starauthoress stormed home down the outside from 14th on the home turn to claim fifth place. Kendel’s Mee Dad has won six races since joining Rogers’ stable and is likely to race again at Ascot after his feature success. It was a winning week for Rogers after Can’t Get Enough and Acefire also saluted. Can’t Get Enough won at Albany’s meeting on Friday, while Acefire made it successive wins when getting the job done in grand style at Belmont on Wednesday. A four-year-old mare, Can’t Get Enough was worked up pre-race and proved difficult to parade but Jade McNaught worked her across from barrier nine to land in front and she was never headed, going on to win by 0.6 lengths. Hot favourite Shake Baby Shake stormed home along the inside to run second while Millivoy finished third. “Can’t Get Enough is quite highly strung and we’ve had to tinker with her gear a little bit,” Rogers said. “She has shown a stack of ability and is impeccably bred.” Acefire was a dominant 21/2-length winner in a class one handicap over 1400m at Belmont last week and Rogers believes he is well above average. The three-year-old has won his last two starts and will be entered in Saturday’s listed Sir Ernest Lee-Steere Classic (1400m) at Ascot with Rogers hopeful champion hoop William Pike will stay aboard.