Brett Cavanough’s second chance at winning a Country Championship Final will come as he prepares to scale back his commitment to training.
The Albury trainer has revealed he will have to reduce his team of racehorses in the wake of Peter Moody’s decision to quit racing following a six-month suspension.
Cavanough was entrusted with the early education of Moody’s string, an involvement he says injected $750,000 into his thoroughbred business.
It also led to Cavanough playing a small role in one of Australian racing’s best stories because he broke in Black Caviar, the champion racemare Moody trained to 25 wins from as many starts.
Moody’s suspension leaves Cavanough with no alternative but to shed staff who work for one of country racing’s most successful stables. “The biggest hit between the eyes is that there is no Moody Racing. It’s a good pain in the guts, I can tell you,” Cavanough told Melbourne radio station RSN.
“Peter has been with us for twelve years and we’ve watched him grow. “We had a forty-horse barn which we dedicated thirty boxes to Peter Moody’s (team) and he kept them full most of the time. “It’s obviously been my core business. Training horses has just been a hobby for me.”
Cavanough will have to lay off 12 staff members and he says it will be difficult for them to find racing industry employment in Albury.
“Everybody says the industry will soak them up. The industry will soak the horses up but it won’t soak the people up,” Cavanough said.
“It’s not pretty. If I was to continue on with the staff we had it’s just a downhill slide.”
Loved Up finished sixth in last year’s Country Championship Final for Cavanough and the trainer heads to Randwick on Saturday with one definite runner in Wagga Wagga qualifying winner Steakandbearnaise.
Cavanough also has third emergency Another Rush as an acceptor in the $500,000 race.
