Aust Derby winner gearing up for return

Sunday 14 August 2016, 12:47pm

Australian Derby winner Tavago is on target to kick off his spring campaign in the Memsie Stakes at Caulfield.

Trained by Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young, Tavago is scheduled to have a 1000m jump-out at Cranbourne on Monday.

Tavago is one of a number of horses Busuttin and Young now have in work at Cranbourne after making the move from New Zealand last month.

The trainers are currently preparing their horses at a local property awaiting the completion of their on-course stables.

Tavago stayed in Australia following his Australian Derby success in April and underwent six weeks pre-training with Leon and Troy Corstens before Busuttin and Young took over.

Busuttin said Tavago was now around 40kg heavier than when he won the Australian Derby and while he will strip off some of that weight in coming weeks he expects him to race heavier than he did during the autumn.

The four-year-old Tavistock gelding begins his spring campaign in the Memsie Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on August 27.

The plan is to then tackle the Makybe Diva Stakes and Turnbull Stakes at Flemington in the lead-up to the Caulfield Cup on October 15.

"He's a stayer but as long as he's hitting the line in the first couple we'll be happy and then if he's going to be a legitimate chance in the Caulfield Cup he's got to be competitive in the Turnbull," Busuttin said.

"I think he'll get in well at the weights in the Turnbull unless he wins one before which I think would be doubtful."

Busuttin believes Tavago should be a dual Derby winner, as was last year's Caulfield Cup winner Mongolian Khan, after having an unlucky passage when sixth in the New Zealand Derby in March.

"The query from everyone is he just a wet tracker that got the right day," Busuttin said.

"That's a logical question, but we're fairly confident he will step up.

"He's come up brilliantly and we haven't squeezed him yet, but we will do soon."

– AAP

Latest News

Prime Thoroughbreds - We have a Host of Leaders in our Team

Tuesday, 29 June 2021

Prime Thor­ough­bred’s cur­rent rac­ing team is putt­ing to­gether quite a re­cord. We have 22 hors­es that have raced in our team at pre­sent. Six­teen of th­ese are win­n­ers in­clud­ing the Stakes win­n­ing trio Ru­bisa­ki, Fituese and Xtreme­time with Miss Di­vine Em and Miss In Charge run­n­ing 4th in Stakes races. This sees a stakes win­n­er to win­n­er ra­tio of 18.75% with a stake’s per­formed to win­n­er ra­tio of 31.25%. Th­ese are ex­cep­tio­n­al fig­ures.   More »

Freedmans land maiden Group One win

Saturday, 27 February 2021

Un­der-rat­ed fil­ly For­bid­den Love has emerged as an au­tumn car­ni­val smokey with a bril­liant per­for­mance to win the Sur­round Stakes at Rand­wick.  More »

Capriccio completes Damian Lane treble

Saturday, 27 February 2021

In a big day for coun­try-trained hors­es, War­r­nam­bool fil­ly Capric­cio has tak­en out the In­glis Dash for Daniel Bow­man.  More »

More news headlines »