|
Last week, one of the keys to Mark Kavanagh winning the Cox Plate with Maldivian was putting blinkers on him. Today, Kavanagh attributes the success of Dr Doute's in the Group 3 Carbine Club Stakes to taking them off.
As rider Michael Rodd explained:
"He had the blinkers on early because he gets so lost."
"But with them on you just can't hold him."
One of the horses whose progress is followed by members of the Mark Kavanagh Racing Club,
Dr Doute's ($3.50-$3.60-$3.20F) came from last to win narrowly from the
Danny O'Brien trained Lucky Thunder ($10-$11-$9.50) with a length to
Millbank ($5.00-$6.50) in third place. Winning
races with a horse like Dr Doute's is to know what to do with the
various bits of gear at the disposal of the trainer according to
Kavanagh.
"He had his first start without blinkers", Kavanagh explained.
"We whacked blinkers on him when he won at Moonee Valley."
"Then he pulled a bit hard when he won here at Flemington and the saddle slipped and we decided to take the blinkers off."
Dr Doute's ran fourth at Caulfield in the Gothic Stakes without blinkers.
"Last time he was a bit wayward and this time he was spot on", Kavanagh said.
Knowing what gear to
use is obviously important but so also is placing a horse to advantage.
Kavanagh explained that he chose to aim Dr Doute's a little lower than
stablemate Whobegotyou, knowing that he was even more immature.
"We set him for this after the Winter", Kavanagh said.
"It was just a run under the Guineas and
the Derby and mentally we couldn't force him into pressure races so
this was the race we chose for him."
"This was the race we targeted and he's arrived." Even though he was dropped to the tail of the field by Michael Rodd for most of the race, Dr Doute's raced quite erratically.
"Through the race I was back where I was and I was in a lot of trouble the whole race", Rodd said.
"I couldn't really hold him and I was all over the heels of the horse in front of me."
"I was happy to start sliding at the 600."
Rodd, who rides
both Dr Doute's and Whobegotyou in trackwork, believes that Dr Doute's
has plenty of potential once he learns what he should be doing. "Early doors we were putting him up against Whobegotyou", he said. "He's very untapped this bloke." "He's just a slow learner and he's still learning what its all about." "He got to the front and Danny O'Briens horse got up inside of us and my bloke just pulled up.""He thought it was over." "Once I clicked him up a bit more he just changed gears and moved away." Having accomplished his Spring objective, Kavanagh plans to send Dr Doute's for a spell.
"He's not a bad horse this bloke and you might hear more from him in the Autumn", he said.
"I reckon he'll go for a spell now".
A $150,000 purchase by
Kavanagh at the Magic Millions Adelaide Yearling Sale, Dr Doute's is by
Redoute's Choice from the Dr Grace mare No Limit.He
is the first stakes winner in his family for five generations, although
No Limit was stakes placed second in the Scone Racing Club Dark Jewel
Classic at Listed level. Photos: Fiona Tomlin
|
