Kavanagh targets tried and tested in Classic spending spree
It’s been a harrowing six years since Victorian trainer Mark Kavanagh was caught up in the cobalt saga that rocked Victorian racing. After long and costly legal proceedings, Kavanagh was eventually cleared of any wrongdoing. Since then, he’s been quietly resurrecting his Flemington stable that was left deserted by owners and clients at the height of the controversy.
“I’ve got a lot of my old clients that have come back and that’s been good. They have had a taste of being elsewhere and they are much more comfortable with me,” said Kavanagh. He prefers to remain silent about that dark chapter of his personal and professional life, but at this week’s Inglis Classic Yearling Sale his actions did plenty of talking.
The Melbourne Cup (Gr 1, 3200m) and Cox Plate- (Gr 1, 2040m) winning trainer spent $1.43 Million at Inglis’ Riverside sales complex and walked away with 13 horses, the largest haul of any buyer at the sale.
It was a clear signal of intent that he’s determined to get back into the major race winners’ circle.
“It’s a good value sale and I have always had luck from here with the likes of Whobegotyou and Shocking.
“Lets face it, the Melbourne Cup winner Vow And Declare came out of here so they are here, you just have to scratch around. You have to look at them as three-year-olds instead of yearlings in the sale ring.
“I target this sale because I can buy horses that take a bit of time and that are bred to stay and get a bit of distance. I take them home to my farm and leave them alone for a while and they come good. The farm is a big part of it. It’s an old established farm,” said Kavanagh.
His property, ‘City View’, at Gisborne South, is the combination of two famous breeding and racing operations, Trevor and Monica Gluck’s Tremon Stud and former VRC Committeeman Doug Reid’s St Johns Lane property.
Kavanagh is passionate about the set up, which enables him to take his time bringing on young stock from the yearling sales.
“It’s not the horse you get, it’s actually what you do with it when you get it home. So, if you can buy some sort of staying horses here that people overlook because they are going to take so much time, they are always good value buying.”
Kavanagh has downsized his operation from 140 horses in work during the heady days of winning a Melbourne Cup with Shocking and Maldivian’s (Zabeel) Cox Plate, to 40 based at Flemington. Although operating on a smaller scale, he says his training style remains the same.
“I don’t need to change. I have won all the big races and with all these sorts of horses. It’s a proven formula that we have bought later maturing horses and left them alone,” he said.