Former Sydney-trained galloper Wanaruah has notched his most important win yet in the feature sprint at Randwick.
The Scone-based stable of Brett and Georgie Cavanough might soon be expanding after the in-form yard continued its rich vein of form with Wanaruah in the Bob Charley AO Stakes at Randwick.
Having claimed the $1 million Country Championships Final (1400m) with Chidiac in April and the Group 3 Hawkesbury Crown with the same mare last month, the Cavanough’s added Saturday’s Listed sprint with recent acquisition Wanaruah.
Shortly after, Brett Cavanough hinted there were changes afoot and when pressed on whether that meant the yard would be expanding, he indicated that was the case, but wouldn’t elaborate
“I think so, yes,” Cavanough said.
“It has been a great last month. There is a bit of news to come out of the camp, hopefully, in the next four to six weeks. There is a bit of movement.
“But we’ll worry about that when we get there. In the meantime, we’ll just keep doing our job.”
The Cavanoughs’ were doing their job at Randwick on Saturday, presenting Wanaruah ($4.80) in superb order to back up his win in a benchmark race over the Scone carnival with victory in Saturday’s 1100m feature.
Given a positive ride by Kerrin Mcevoy, the four-year-old defied all attempts to run him down, holding on by three-quarters of a length over General Salute ($3.80 fav) with Brudenell ($10) third.
It was just his third run for his new stable having been previously prepared by Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott under whose care he was Group placed behind Autumn Glow in the 2024 Up And Coming Stakes (1300m) and Angel Capital in that year’s Guineas Prelude (1400m) at Caulfield.
“We have never looked back. He has done the job since he’s come to my place, hasn’t let me down,” Cavanough said.
“He’s got super form when Gai and Adrian had him, obviously the Autumn Glow form and his Guineas Prelude, he could be a really good horse. I’m not too sure, I’m just taking it one step at a time with him.
“There are some pretty exciting spring races coming up, so we won’t overtax him, we will get him home, regroup and work out where we go.”
McEvoy won aboard Wanaruah at Scone and said Cavanough filled him with confidence coming into Saturday’s race.
“‘Cav’s’ (Brett Cavanough) last words to me were, ‘he’s as fit as a Mallee bull, use your early speed and the 54 on his back’,” McEvoy said.
“I had a lot of confidence, and the more I looked at the race and the more I kept looking at that point-sixth of a length behind Angel Capital in the Guineas Prelude, I thought, he’s got to run well in this grade.
“With the minimum on his back, he’s been able to do it.”
