The Money’s on Efficient

NZ-bred horse Efficient has been dubbed “racing’s next big thing” in the Australian press after winning the AU$1.5 million Victoria Derby at Flemington. The three-year-old gelding’s win earned him the right to enter the Melbourne Cup, but trainer Graeme Rogerson was forced to pull him from the race after he strained a knee during the morning warm up. The last horse to complete the Derby-Cup double was Skipton in 1941. While not trained in NZ, Efficient was bred there, is trained by an ex-pat Kiwi, and is part-owned by four NZers (the managing owner is Australian multi-millionaire and former Crown Casino head Lloyd Williams). “This horse can really level out, he makes [the rest] look second rate,” said jockey Michael Rodd in the Age. “It’s just unbelievable what this horse has done.” Efficient has won five of just six starts in his career to date.