BRETT Cavanough, a leading NSW country conditioner, made his presence felt when The Monstar easily won the sprint Yalumba Wines Handicap on the feature Sunshine Coast meet at Caloundra last Saturday.
Now a winner of eight races and $248,440, The Monstar (by deceased sire California Dane) is among the initial starters from a training base at Toowoomba for Mr Cavanough.
Mr Cavanough is also chasing his 11th crown as this season’s Southern Districts premier trainer from his long-time conditioning headquarters at Albury.
But his a long-term goal is opening a training base at Scone.
“I’ve got horses in the stables everywhere, but in the long term Scone is where I want to be,” Mr Cavanough said.
“In the short term they (Scone Race Club) are going to nut-out what they can do for me.
“New stables are going to be built on the track, but that is still six months away.”
Training at Scone has been a longtime goal.
“Scone has the second biggest horse population in the world after Kentucky – all the horses are there,” Mr Cavanough said.
“It’s like going to Harlem (in America), if you want to play basketball, if you want to train horses you go to Scone – that’s my theory.”
Riding trackwork from the early age of 12 when riding for his grandfather and trainer Frank Cavanough in country Queensland, Mr Cavanough gained experience from other Queensland trainers Jim McCormack and Barry Baldwin.
He also explored other country employment options, including learning to shear sheep.
I’ve got horses in the stables everywhere, but in the long term Scone is where I want to be. Scone has the second biggest horse population in the world after Kentucky – all the horses are there. It’s like going to Harlem (in America), if you want to play basketball, if you want to train horses you go to Scone – that’s my theory.
- Brett Cavanough
In September 1997, Mr Cavanough became the first Australian to hold an official world shearing record, when shearing 427 sheep in eight hours at Widgeiwa Station in the Riverina district of NSW.
He returned to racing in 1998 and not long after, he set up training at Albury.
But now, according to Mr Cavanough, Scone “puts me everywhere”.
“I’ve been training winners and those premierships down there (from his Albury base) and I’ve had to keep shooting north to have a crack at everything,” he said.
Mr Cavanough intends to keep his Albury stable – which has about 45 horses in training – and has about 20 horses, including 16 two-year-olds, in work at Toowoomba.
This season Mr Cavanough is up to 38 wins, and hoping for more to come by the season’s end.
Mr Cavanagh can count wins by Helideck in the 2008 Prime Ministers Cup-G2 at the Gold Coast, and Niblick in his home-town Commercial Club Albury Cup-LR among his major successes.
Melbourne Cup shows up at Tuncurry
IF YOU’D like to get a close-up look of the magnificent Emirates Melbourne Cup trophy, valued at many thousands of dollars, the place to be is at the Ladies Day TAB Tuncurry Forster races on Saturday July 16.
The Tuncurry Forster Jockey Club (TFJC) are honoured to be able to present the trophy on show for the public.
“We are going to use the trophy as a tool to raise funds for our local Riding For The Disabled organisation who do a fantastic job helping people with disabilities,” TFJC president Garry McQuillan said.
While some Victoria Racing Club officials and two security guards will be present, the Melbourne Cup trophy will be able to be photographed with any interested patrons for $5 during raceday.
“All money raised on the day will be donated to the RDA.”
Promoted as Ladies Day, the TFJC also initiated a champagne bar for ladies, with the first 100 ladies through the entry gate this day receiving a free gift bag.
The club is planning for a popular raceday with free buses from Wingham, Taree, Black Head and Forster Tuncurry.
The Tuncurry Beach Bowling Club will play host to the Emirates Park Melbourne Cup trophy the previous evening, while the local Sunrise Living and Evermore Retirement Villages will also get their turn for viewing.
Brothers gallop to win together
TWO male gallopers on either side of the globe won middle distance stakes races within hours of each other recently.
On the last day of the 2016 Royal Ascot racing carnival in England, Sir Isaac Newton won the Wolferton Handicap-LR, while his Great Britain bred half-brother Maurus easily won the Ipswich Cup-LR at the feature Queensland meet.
A huge 3.6 million guineas yearling, Sir Isaac Newton is by champion European sire Galileo, and is trained by famed Ireland trainer Aidan O’Brien and raced by Coolmore Stud connections.
An improving staying gelding, Maurus is prepared by former Warwick Farm conditioner David Vandyke, who only recently relocated from Sydney to the Sunshine Coast.
