Young Flemington trainer Levi Kavanagh has scored a breakthrough stakes race success in the final race of the Melbourne Cup carnival at Flemington.
Following on from a Stawell maiden victory on debut, Kentucky Breeze graduated to town on Saturday taking out the Listed Emirates Airlines Stakes.
Ridden by Melbourne Cup-winning jockey Corey Brown, Kentucky Breeze was supported from $31 to $21 before holding off the fast-finishing Muraaqeb ($8.50) by a long head with Sircconi ($14) a head away third.
A three-year-old son of Pierro, Kentucky Breeze was a speck purchase by Kavanagh.
“He was a mad colt at the time so I took him back to our farm, ended up gelding him and he relaxed really nicely,” Kavanagh said.
“The guys have been patient and now he’s won two from two and he’s a stakes winner so it’s all working out well.”
Kavanagh said it was a massive thrill to break through for his first stakes race success on his home track, and during Australia’s biggest racing week.
“I’ve only been training a couple of years,” Kavanagh said.
“I’ve only purchased three horses from the sales so far, one is a city winner, one is this one and the other is showing plenty of promise.”
Corey Brown was fined $3000 for overuse use of the whip on Kentucky Breeze.