Maldivian, Kavanagh & Whobegotyou
October 26th 2008 07:45
Mark Kavanagh spent 12 months wondering about the Caulfield Cup that got away. Since that day when a freak accident denied Maldivian (what all had believed was his for the taking) a Caulfield Cup, Mark Kavanagh still admitted to reliving the scene in those quiet moments before sleep, and suffering from ‘nightmares’.
(photo: Getty Images)
He needn't suffer any more.
Even as of last week when Maldivian proved that the 2400m trip was beyond his powers of endurance, Kavanagh should have ceased the worry and the torture. Maldivian would not have defeated Master O’Reilly in the 2007 Caulfield Cup. Most likely - even though then in brilliant form - he would not even have been placed. What might have been never really mattered from that point last week. Getting Maldivian back into the winners stall was the only priority. Maldivian was not winning - but he was being beaten in very strong races. It would take a little tinkering.
And so the plan:
There would be the tongue tie to stop him from blocking the passage of air.
There would be schooling him over jumps to sharpen him the week before his ‘grand final’.
And there would be the addition of blinkers - and blinkers on a Zabeel are usually a telling factor (they should hand them out with every Zabeel purchased at a sale ring)
Maldivian is a powerful on-the-speed galloper with a wind-up-spring that releases great surges of energy furlong after furlong. But it has its limit. It will not sustain him for an excessive distance. I think his spring runs down just beyond 2040m. 2040m is the distance that he has made his own with three wins from three attempts - and this is the distance of the Cox Plate.
When Nash Rawiller on Theseo elected to try and sit behind Maldivian instead of ensuring a strong and even tempo, the race was presented to Maldivian. Even when Zipping and others made runs down the side they did not take off, but rather, rode for a position to pounce. At this time Michael Rodd cuddled Maldivian and allowed others to race to him and slightly head him. When Rodd pressed the button just before turning for home he left these would-be (could-be) challengers in his wake.
I didn’t believe the favourite runners, Princess Coup and Samantha Miss were well suited in the Cox Plate. Even if the pace had been solid it was more likely that Zipping or Master O’Reilly would have relished the pace and still have beaten home Princess Coup. And Samantha Miss has only beaten (time and again) the same few Sydney fillies. She ran well and bravely in the Cox Plate - but it still only provided her with speedfigures nearly the same as those she entered the race with - and these were not indicative of a Cox Plate winner.
Mark Kavanagh has copped criticism for not electing to run Whobegotyou in the Cox Plate - electing instead to take on the AAMI Vase over the same trip - which he won with ridiculous ease in much faster time than Maldivian.
Perhaps we will see Maldivian go around and defend his Cox Plate title again next year. He should - it is his pet distance and his favourite track. But next year I would think that Maldivian may be cranking up the tempo a lot earlier (and let’s face it, they won’t let him dictate like that again) and ensuring a strong pace. Let’s not forget that Whobegotyou is more than likely to contest the Cox Plate next year. His performances this season have matched (in speedfigures and scope) those of Weekend Hussler last year. And we already know that Whobegotyou will run the trip.
Mark Kavanagh may not be Aidan O’Brien - but I’m guessing if Whobegotyou is favourite next year then the race will not be run in a dawdle - if you don’t chase Maldivian he gets out with an unassailable lead anyway. A previous Cox Plate winner would be a pretty handy 'pacemaker'.
But that’s the stuff of dreams for Mark Kavanagh to have in the quiet moments before sleep.
Sweet dreams Mark.
Remarks from the beaten jockeys in the Cox Plate:
MICHAEL RODD (MALDIVIAN, 1st): "We just had a nice run in front, you know, we did a little bit of work early but he loves the track and the distance. Yeah, he just had the perfect run in front, we just stacked them up pretty much from the 1000 (metres) and had a bit of a breather 'til the 600. Then it was a bit of a sprint. They attacked me from about the 500, a few of them came at me and it just spurred him on a bit. He got up on the bridle and they weren't going to get past him. He can really sprint."
DANNY NIKOLIC (ZIPPING, 2nd): "He relaxed brilliantly, a lot better than he ever has in any other years or in any other races I've ridden him in. He's really training and racing well now and I'll be suggesting he goes straight to the Melbourne Cup. The best horse definitely didn't win today. I should have won the race. We needed a bit of pressure. Just a nice even-run race he would have won. They just gave it to the leader too easy."
GLEN BOSS: (SAMANTHA MISS, 3rd): "She didn't make the turn. When I wanted to make the turn on the (home) bend, I wanted to sort of try and be beside Maldivian at the furlong (200m), because I thought, 'well I'll wear him down at the weights', but she never came off that bend real good. She had every possible chance."
DWAYNE DUNN (ZARITA, 4th): "Yeah, really impressed. She's improved a lot since her last-start failure. Stayed on good. The leader just had a soft run and was able to keep going. She stayed on good to be beaten a length and a half. He'll (trainer Pat Hyland) probably run her in the Cup, on that, I suppose.
NASH RAWILLER (THESEO, 5th): "I sort of showed my intention to try and lead and I reckon it was just set up beautifully but, unfortunately, Michael (Rodd) showed his intention but we were going to end up cutting each other's throats and I had to fight with him (Theseo) for 100 metres to get back behind him (Maldivian). It probably worked out my best possible chance of winning because he kicked on well."
STEVEN ARNOLD (C'EST LA GUERRE, 6th): "He ran well - he just needs the sting out of the ground."
CRAIG NEWITT (ALAMOSA, 7th): "He was always too far back out of his ground, he just never really got into it. Coming to the turn he travelled up okay but he just failed to run the 2000 out."
COREY BROWN (GALLANT TESS, 8th): "She had every chance, the mile (1600 metres) sees her out."
OPIE BOSSON (PRINCESS COUP, 9th): "She slipped back on the inside a bit and I couldn't really make my run that I wanted to. She just plodded up the straight. She probably wants to be out in the clear a bit."
VLAD DURIC (MASTER O'REILLY, 10th): "Mid-race, they just slowed up to an absolute crawl and it gave my bloke no hope you know, he's a get-back horse. He ran great, though."
DAMIEN OLIVER (SIRMIONE, 11th): "They just went too slow for him. He had no chance."
BLAKE SHINN (RAHEEB, 12th and last): "At the 500 I thought he was going to be right in it but he didn't see it out and felt the track the last bit."
2008 Cox Plate:
Maldivian with Rodd winning the Yalumba Stakes in 2007
(photo: Getty Images)
He needn't suffer any more.
Even as of last week when Maldivian proved that the 2400m trip was beyond his powers of endurance, Kavanagh should have ceased the worry and the torture. Maldivian would not have defeated Master O’Reilly in the 2007 Caulfield Cup. Most likely - even though then in brilliant form - he would not even have been placed. What might have been never really mattered from that point last week. Getting Maldivian back into the winners stall was the only priority. Maldivian was not winning - but he was being beaten in very strong races. It would take a little tinkering.
And so the plan:
There would be the tongue tie to stop him from blocking the passage of air.
There would be schooling him over jumps to sharpen him the week before his ‘grand final’.
And there would be the addition of blinkers - and blinkers on a Zabeel are usually a telling factor (they should hand them out with every Zabeel purchased at a sale ring)
Maldivian is a powerful on-the-speed galloper with a wind-up-spring that releases great surges of energy furlong after furlong. But it has its limit. It will not sustain him for an excessive distance. I think his spring runs down just beyond 2040m. 2040m is the distance that he has made his own with three wins from three attempts - and this is the distance of the Cox Plate.
When Nash Rawiller on Theseo elected to try and sit behind Maldivian instead of ensuring a strong and even tempo, the race was presented to Maldivian. Even when Zipping and others made runs down the side they did not take off, but rather, rode for a position to pounce. At this time Michael Rodd cuddled Maldivian and allowed others to race to him and slightly head him. When Rodd pressed the button just before turning for home he left these would-be (could-be) challengers in his wake.
I didn’t believe the favourite runners, Princess Coup and Samantha Miss were well suited in the Cox Plate. Even if the pace had been solid it was more likely that Zipping or Master O’Reilly would have relished the pace and still have beaten home Princess Coup. And Samantha Miss has only beaten (time and again) the same few Sydney fillies. She ran well and bravely in the Cox Plate - but it still only provided her with speedfigures nearly the same as those she entered the race with - and these were not indicative of a Cox Plate winner.
Mark Kavanagh has copped criticism for not electing to run Whobegotyou in the Cox Plate - electing instead to take on the AAMI Vase over the same trip - which he won with ridiculous ease in much faster time than Maldivian.
Perhaps we will see Maldivian go around and defend his Cox Plate title again next year. He should - it is his pet distance and his favourite track. But next year I would think that Maldivian may be cranking up the tempo a lot earlier (and let’s face it, they won’t let him dictate like that again) and ensuring a strong pace. Let’s not forget that Whobegotyou is more than likely to contest the Cox Plate next year. His performances this season have matched (in speedfigures and scope) those of Weekend Hussler last year. And we already know that Whobegotyou will run the trip.
Mark Kavanagh may not be Aidan O’Brien - but I’m guessing if Whobegotyou is favourite next year then the race will not be run in a dawdle - if you don’t chase Maldivian he gets out with an unassailable lead anyway. A previous Cox Plate winner would be a pretty handy 'pacemaker'.
But that’s the stuff of dreams for Mark Kavanagh to have in the quiet moments before sleep.
Sweet dreams Mark.
Remarks from the beaten jockeys in the Cox Plate:
MICHAEL RODD (MALDIVIAN, 1st): "We just had a nice run in front, you know, we did a little bit of work early but he loves the track and the distance. Yeah, he just had the perfect run in front, we just stacked them up pretty much from the 1000 (metres) and had a bit of a breather 'til the 600. Then it was a bit of a sprint. They attacked me from about the 500, a few of them came at me and it just spurred him on a bit. He got up on the bridle and they weren't going to get past him. He can really sprint."
DANNY NIKOLIC (ZIPPING, 2nd): "He relaxed brilliantly, a lot better than he ever has in any other years or in any other races I've ridden him in. He's really training and racing well now and I'll be suggesting he goes straight to the Melbourne Cup. The best horse definitely didn't win today. I should have won the race. We needed a bit of pressure. Just a nice even-run race he would have won. They just gave it to the leader too easy."
GLEN BOSS: (SAMANTHA MISS, 3rd): "She didn't make the turn. When I wanted to make the turn on the (home) bend, I wanted to sort of try and be beside Maldivian at the furlong (200m), because I thought, 'well I'll wear him down at the weights', but she never came off that bend real good. She had every possible chance."
DWAYNE DUNN (ZARITA, 4th): "Yeah, really impressed. She's improved a lot since her last-start failure. Stayed on good. The leader just had a soft run and was able to keep going. She stayed on good to be beaten a length and a half. He'll (trainer Pat Hyland) probably run her in the Cup, on that, I suppose.
NASH RAWILLER (THESEO, 5th): "I sort of showed my intention to try and lead and I reckon it was just set up beautifully but, unfortunately, Michael (Rodd) showed his intention but we were going to end up cutting each other's throats and I had to fight with him (Theseo) for 100 metres to get back behind him (Maldivian). It probably worked out my best possible chance of winning because he kicked on well."
STEVEN ARNOLD (C'EST LA GUERRE, 6th): "He ran well - he just needs the sting out of the ground."
CRAIG NEWITT (ALAMOSA, 7th): "He was always too far back out of his ground, he just never really got into it. Coming to the turn he travelled up okay but he just failed to run the 2000 out."
COREY BROWN (GALLANT TESS, 8th): "She had every chance, the mile (1600 metres) sees her out."
OPIE BOSSON (PRINCESS COUP, 9th): "She slipped back on the inside a bit and I couldn't really make my run that I wanted to. She just plodded up the straight. She probably wants to be out in the clear a bit."
VLAD DURIC (MASTER O'REILLY, 10th): "Mid-race, they just slowed up to an absolute crawl and it gave my bloke no hope you know, he's a get-back horse. He ran great, though."
DAMIEN OLIVER (SIRMIONE, 11th): "They just went too slow for him. He had no chance."
BLAKE SHINN (RAHEEB, 12th and last): "At the 500 I thought he was going to be right in it but he didn't see it out and felt the track the last bit."
2008 Cox Plate:
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