ONE of Queensland's favourite racehorses, Vo Rogue, has died at the ripe old age of 28.

The bold front-runner, which won 26 wins from 83 starts, most at the top level.

Vo Rogue was trained by battling trainer Vic Rail, who was a victim of Hendra virus in 1994, and ridden by unfashionable jockey Cyril Small and the trio's story captured the public's imagination in the 1980s.

Vo Rogue won Group One races in Melbourne, Sydney and Perth and won the Australian Cup twice over 2000m. Incredibly, he also won the William Reid Stakes over 1200m in 1988.

The gelding beat stars of the turf such as Bonecrusher, Super Impose, Myocard, Military Plume, Campaign King and Our Poetic Prince.

SUPERMAN had kryptonite . . . Vo Rogue had mud.

The difference is Vo Rogue's problem was real not a myth originally designed to add intrigue for readers of the Superman comic books.

Muddy conditions really did weaken the racetrack performances of Vo Rogue who died late on Tuesday at part-owner Jeff Perry's Mt Tambourine property aged 28.

Statistics sometimes mislead. Not this one. Vo Rogue started six times on a track rated dead and once each on slow and heavy.

His return from those races. Zilch. Not a single placing. Bear in mind some of those runs were in lowly company when few had heard of Vo Rogue.

When I heard of Vo Rogue's passing I rang Cyril Small and Les ....

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