After initial fears Tavago would miss the spring carnival, the Group One winner is back in light work with connections hoping to target the Caulfield Cup and Melbourne Cup.
The 2016 Australian Derby winner, Tavago won the Sky High Stakes during the autumn in Sydney but injured his suspensory at his next start in The BMW.
“When he came back to scale he was properly broken down. It was five out of five lame,” co-trainer Trent Busuttin said.
“I went up and said to the owners, ‘we won’t be seeing this horse until the autumn next year’.
“But two days later it was down, there was no swelling and no soreness. We scanned it and he had basically given it a very hard tweak.
“So we actually worked him for a couple of days thinking we might be a chance of going to the Sydney Cup but we thought better of it and pulled him out.”
Tavago was given 10 weeks off and is back in pre-training at Cranbourne with a view to the spring.
“He’s doing a bit of trotting and quiet cantering,” Busuttin said.
“In a couple of weeks I’ll give him a scan just to be safe and if all is well, we’ll just progress through to the spring.
“And obviously with a horse like him the Caulfield and Melbourne Cup is the target.”
Busuttin says Tavago is at his best on rain-affected going, something he doesn’t expect to get for the spring Cups in Melbourne.
“But we’ll just take him through the path and see which way he leads us,” he said.
Tavago’s 2016 spring was cruelled by a virus with his campaign aborted after his second start.
After a pleasing autumn return in the Chipping Norton Stakes, won by Winx, Tavago won the Sky High and went into the BMW as one of the main chances.
“At the moment, touch wood, he’s fine,” Busuttin said.
“But if the scan reveals that it’s not 110 per cent we’ll forget about the spring and look towards the autumn
“If he stays sound he’s got to be a genuine chance in a race like the Caulfield Cup.”
