THOROUGHBRED

Favorite SHOOTOFF held off the filly's to win Saturday's Queensland Derby giving sire DUELLED his first Group 1 winner.

Jockey Michael Rodd allowed him to ease up to the leaders under his own steam soon after turning for home. "I just wanted to nurse him and make sure he got the 2400m because he was three weeks between runs. He's such a game little horse, with a good little turn of foot, and he fights on really hard. The extra little bit of work I did going around the back I knew I had to really look after him. They got to him but couldn't get past him because he's a real fighter. If he hears them coming, he kicks harder. He's all heart at the moment. He's still a bit timid but he will learn his trade."

The win completed a memorable carnival for Graeme Rogerson, just one week after Scarlett Lady ran away with the Queensland Oaks. "This horse I thought a shower of rain would help him but he still won on the dry. It just makes you think how good is SCARLET LADY, I think she may well be the best I've had, but that's for another time. We will savour this moment and enjoy this one for now."

Rogerson heaped praise on his Australian stable manager Roger Elliot, who did all of the lead up work with SHOOTOFF.

Opie Bosson felt the Allan Sharrock trained SHEZ SENSATIONAL had the favourite's measure inside the 100m.

"My filly kept fighting right to the line and in the last little bit I thought I would pick him up.

HEIDILICIOUS jumped with the rest of the field and took up a much more prominent position before driving at the winner in the closing stages. "I'm just so pleased she's finally had a good experience and obviously the barrier blanket has worked," John Sadler's stable representative Troy Corstens said. "It was a super ride by Jim Byrne, we were just a touch unlucky.