2016 Australian Derby winner Tavago has recovered from a minor leg injury and is set resume for the Spring Carnival in the Group 1 $750,000 Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m) at Flemington on Saturday.
Tavago, above, has recovered from a minor leg injury and is ready to resume in the Makybe Diva Stakes at Flemington. Photo by Steve Hart.
Cranbourne based Kiwi trainers Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young were forced to scratch Tavago on the eve of the Group 2 $250,000 Dato’ Tan Chin Nam Stakes (1600m) at The Valley last Saturday because of a leg injury that had to be treated with antibiotics.
Co-trainer Trent Busuttin said that Tavago was quick to response to treatment and is confident he will take his place in the weight for age Makybe Diva Stakes this weekend.
“He’s fine. As soon as he had to have antibiotics he was out of the equation (for the Dato’ Tab Chin Nam Stakes),” Busuttin told racing.com.
“I just want to see him hitting the line. I wouldn’t think he would be a winning chance in a field like that first up over a mile.”
“He will just be settling back and hopefully be running to the line strongly.”
Busuttin and Young have targeted the Group 1 $3.15m BMW Caulfield Cup (2400m) at Caulfield on October 21 for Tavago who was weighted with 55kg when the weights were released today.
“We’ve got the Caulfield Cup in the back of our mind and that would be nice to get him there but we’ll just get the first-up race out of the way and make sure he pulls up fine,” Young said.
Tavago has been lightly raced since his success in the Group 1 $2m BMW Australian Derby (2400m) at Randwick with only one more win from another five starts, when he beat Antonio Giuseppe in the Group 3 $350,000 McGrath Estate Agents Sky High Stakes (2000m) at Rosehill during the 2017 Sydney Autumn Carnival.
The Tavistock gelding had one more run in the Autumn and pulled up a bit short after finishing eighth of eight behind Jameka in the Group 1 $1.5m The BMW (2400m) at Rosehill on March 25.
Tavago is also nominated for the Group 1 $6.25m Emirates Melbourne Cup (3200m) at Flemington on November 7 and was given 55kg, the same weight he was allocated in the Caulfield Cup.
Busuttin doesn’t anticipate Tavago finishing amongst the major end of the prizemoney in the Makybe Diva Stakes and the bookies at Ladbrokes.com.au have him listed as one of the outsiders of the field at $26.
The James Cummings trained Hartnell heads the market order at $1.80 and looks the one to beat on his effortless up win in the Group 2 $200,000 P.B. Lawrence Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on August 19.
Early betting for the 2017 Makybe Diva Stakes at Ladbrokes.com.au: $1.80 Hartnell, $6.50 Black Heart Bart, $8 Le Romain, $11 Hey Doc, $13 Humidor, $15 Foxplay, Gailo Chop, Yankee Rose, $21 Jon Snow, Tom Melbourne, $26 I Am A Star, Inference, Tavago, $34 Seaburge, $41 He Or She, $51 Single Gaze, Ventura Storm, $81 Jacquinot Bay.
