Craig Kerry
When Georgie Cavanough, the daughter of Scone trainer Brett Cavanough, came back to thoroughbreds, her focus was on breeding.
Racing, though, as she says, is addictive.
Six months into an official training partnership with her dad, that passion for racing has helped take the family stable to new heights.
The Cavanoughs have three runners in Saturday’s $1 million Country Championships final (1400m) at Randwick after Chidiac (3.50) and Fingers Hunter ($8) finished one-two in the Hunter-North West qualifier at Muswellbrook and Warrior For Peace ($11) claimed the spot available in the northern wildcard at Scone.
Fingers Hunter and Warrior For Peace were earlier part of three consecutive Highway Handicap winners in Sydney for the stable, which, with 45.5 victories statewide, is striking at close to 20 per cent this season.
Given the strength of the Hunter region, the feat of taking all three places available for the country decider is a remarkable one. Brett won the richest race for country-trained horses, the $2 million Kosciuszko, with It’s Me in 2020, but his only qualifiers for the championship final before now came in 2015 and 2016.
Georgie said the success coming this year, after the training partnership was made official, was just a coincidence. The 28-year-old has been working with her dad for the past five years. Before that, she spent a year working for champion English trainer William Haggas at Newmarket and also went to the Irish National Stud on a scholarship.
A career in racing, though, was not always on the cards, after taking up nursing studies. She felt lucky now to have “landed on her feet” as a trainer.
“When I gave up nursing, I went to the farm because breeding is what I wanted to do. I have a couple of my own mares and had a bit of luck pin-hooking a foal,” she said.
“But racing, it’s addictive. Dad’s always been very good at what he does, and it’s a huge family business … it was kind of right time, right place.
“It hasn’t changed much at all [being co-trainer]. I just think it makes the winners mean a hell of a lot more. We are very fortunate, we’ve got an exceptional staff, three apprentices and two pre-apprentices who all work tirelessly, and they are a huge part of our team.
“To have three runners in any million-dollar race for country horses is unbelievable, and to have three live chances also, it’s a very exciting time for us. We’ve got a really nice bunch of horses. We’ve been really patient with them. They’ve always had something under the bonnet, and it’s just preserving them and aiming them at the right races.”
Australia’s Hong Kong champion Zac Purton will ride top seed Chidiac for the Cavanoughs from gate nine, while Jason Collett partners Warrior For Peace (15) after having the pick of the rides. Tommy Berry is on Fingers Hunter (12).
Gerry Harvey-owned Chidiac was third in the Kosciuszko in October and has long been high in markets for the country final.
“She’s got a good fresh record, and she’s got a heart bigger than a truck,” Georgie said. “She gives 100 per cent every time. There’s nothing left in the engine when she comes back. Whether or not she gets the 1400 is our only query, but you never know with a horse like her.
“They all galloped on the course proper at Muswellbrook on Saturday, and they all worked exceptional, and she was very good.
“When we first got her, she was a really heavy mare, and it was really hard to get the weight off her. She had a few feet issues, but now we’ve got her sound, she’s getting better with age.”
Fingers Hunter was powering through the line when second in the 1280m heat.
“Her Highway win was over the distance, and it was exceptional,” she said. “If she gets a nice run in behind them, she can rattle off some unbelievable sectionals. She’s got a big motor. She can find herself in some awkward, tricky spots because she does want to get back, but she’s a good mare in good form, and she looks enormous.”
Warrior For Peace, owned by the Cavanoughs, won his wildcard over 1400m.
“He’s only a little horse, and he got knocked around in the winter when he was thrown in the deep end,” she said. “He’s had a break, and he’s come back a much bigger, stronger, more furnished horse.
“He’s produced a good couple of wins now, and I can’t see why he wouldn’t be doing that on Saturday.”
Adding to the excitement for the Cavanoughs on Saturday is recent addition Dr Hook running in the group 1 Sires Produce Stakes and Bird Whistle contesting the group 3 PJ Bell Stakes.
