Tavistock One In A Million
- Sunday, 30 August 2009 00:00
Tavistock's owners who rejected an offer of nearly $1 million for him had their faith repaid with the four-year-old now a Group One winner of the Mudgway Stakes.
Tavistock started at nearly 40-1 in the first leg of the Hawke's Bay Group One treble but ran down favourite Mufhasa over the 1400m to score by half a neck.
Trainer Andrew Campbell said Tavistock had been the subject of numerous offers which reached $900,000.
But he advised the owners to keep Tavistock and send him to Melbourne trainer Mick Price as a three-year-old last season.
"I said your best option was to go to Australia," Campbell told NZPA.
Tavistock, who raced in Australia as Lord Tavistock, had four starts for Price.
In his Melbourne debut he was second in the Vain Stakes (1100m) before winning a $A100,000 race for three-year-olds over 1400m at Flemington.
He was then fourth in the Caulfield Guineas Prelude before being well beaten in the Caulfield Guineas.
The Melbourne form went part of the way to justifying Campbell's high opinion of Tavistock but Saturday's win underlined his judgment.
"He's the best horse I've ever had and I've never kept that a secret," Campbell said.
Campbell, 42, has been training for less than 15 years. His previous best win was with Bobs Boy in the Group Three Doomben Classic in Brisbane in 2003 and he was proud to have broken through at Group One level.
"It's the ultimate. It's every trainer's dream to win a Group One and I've done it. It's an unexplainable feeling. I'm just so proud to do it."
Campbell has been as much a trader as a trainer of horses.
Campbell said Tavistock would not necessarily contest the second leg of the Hawke's Bay treble, the $220,000 Windsor Park Plate (1600m) on September 19.
He said the emphasis would more be on the third leg, the $1.2 million Kelt Capital Stakes (2040m) on October 3.
"That's always been our aim, the Kelt and the Caulfield Cup. I'll just see how he pulls up but it won't bother me at all if he misses the second leg.
Rider Jason Waddell sent Tavistock around the field and early in the run home loomed up alongside favourite Mufhasa going on to win by half a neck.
Mufhasa was gallant in defeat at his first start for four months.
NZPA WGT
