Another Darci for Kav!
Colt by Darci Brahma (ex Belleva)
Many trainers, are good, but it takes an outstanding horseman and trainer to saddle-up a Melbourne Cup winner and that is what Mark Kavanagh has done.
Known, for his enthusiasm, upbeat manner, he's also a very shrewd operator and simply known to many members' of the media as 'Kav' he is one of Australia's leading trainers. Mark Kavanagh, has a superb relationship with Delbridge Racing, an Authorised Representative of the TTSC, as he prepared Shamoline Warrior (by Shamardal) for Mark Leo and his group of owners'.
Kav is also training the very nice cut of a horse in Pakari Toa (ex Alisara) who is by the New Zealand based, Darci Brahma (by Danehill). So it was understandable that both Leo and Kav were going to look at all the stock by the stallion in the Premier session of the New Zealand Bloodstock sale.
Winning his maiden in super impressive fashion at Bendigo, Pakari Toa then stepped straight up to a tough event at Moonee Valley to make it two wins on end. Feeling the effects of his campaign at his third race start Pakari Toa faded in the final 50metres of the Zeditave Stakes. Knowing the gelding was feeling the full effects of his first campaign both Leo & Kav, believed the run was super, and, have put Pakari Toa out in the paddock for a summer holiday.
Pakari Toa's pedigree features Northern Dancer on the fourth line of his tabulated pedigree within his sires' line and fifth line in the dams sires' line. And, Natalma on the fifth line, twice, on the male side.
The shorthand for these pedigree references is Northern Dancer 4m x 5m and Natalma 5m,5f x.
Why you may ask, is the TTSC explaining this? Well, this colt that Kav and Leo have selected feature an exact match of pedigree reference with Northern Dancer and one more line with Natalma! Therefore, the shorthand for his pedigree reference is Northern Dancer 4m x 4m and Natalma 5m, 5f x 5m. So he has a little more of Natalma's blood, on the female side of the tabulation. Click on the pedigree to view!
After all, Darci Brahma has the blood of dominant stallions Danehill, Zabeel and Vice Regal and is out of a Group One winner and hails from a family of elite performers. He is seen as the complete package, as he offered breeders racetrack performances and owns a pedigree and has a commanding presence.
On the track, Darci Brahma possessed a turn-of-foot and his progeny are delivering on the track. Now in his fifth season of covering mares Darci Brahma stood at a fee of NZ$20,000 last spring and at the end of January his record shows 27 individual winners from just 68 runners with earnings of more than $1.3million.
Not enough? This bay colt is out of a daughter of the outstanding sire Montjeu (by Sadler's Wells), Belleva a half-sister to the outstanding galloper Cent Home (by Lord Ballina), Champion High weight older horse at six, after victories in the Group 1 Captain Cook Stakes, Mudgway Stakes, St George Stakes and the Awapuni Gold Cup. And a half-sister to the VRC Turnbull Stakes hero, Studebaker (by Lord Ballina) and Ballet Society (by Stravinsky), winner of the VRC Angus Armanasco Stakes, Vanity Stakes and the BTC Sprint.
The family page offers plenty of depth as it also features the high-class French Derby winner Val De Loir.
When selecting the colt Kavanagh said "he has a great pedigree and is a really nice type. He has similar bloodlines to Pakari Toa who I also selected for Delbridge Racing clients.
"He will be a bigger horse than Pakari Toa, who has shown a lot of potential, and I will be hoping he has similar ability.
"In my opinion he was the best colt by the sire at the sale and is well developed enough to be an early type but he will get better as he gets older and will be suited over middle distances as he matures."
Horse Details
Sire: Darci Brahma
Dam: Belleva
Sex: Colt
Foal Date: 20 September 2010
Pedigree: View detailed pedigree supplied by Equineline.com
Trainer Details
As a kid Mark Kavanagh got the racing bug at a young age, when in shorts he sat on Light Fingers, Galilee and Red Handed, Melbourne Cup winners all trained by Bart Cummings from 1965, 66 and 1967.
His Mum was a great cook, and, fed the staff next door to the family's home in South Australia, who just happened to work for Bart Cummings. From that point in his life Mark was hooked on racing.
First he was a jumps jockey, then, on to training, and now with stables at Flemington and Morphettville, Mark runs both yards with loyal staff, and, his son, Levi.
Kavanagh's first win at the elite level was with Hard To Get (2004 Adelaide Cup) in South Australia at Morphettville. Then followed; Undoubtedly (Blue Diamond Stakes), Divine Madonna (Emirates Stakes) and his training career was off up and running.
Kavanagh, frequently refers to his time as a jumps jockey was a great preparation for training. "I was all right at it,'' he said of a dozen years that yielded 96 wins.
Backing himself, as did his wife (Isobel), they borrowed a lot of money to buy a farm, his first set of stables in Adelaide; borrowed more to buy a bigger second set of stables in Adelaide. Then, did it again when they moved to Melbourne - to 'have a crack' - it's a big bet to win, and, he has.
The wins have multiplied; Maldivian's brilliant Cox Plate in 2008, Devil Moon (Turnbull Stakes), Whobegotyou (Caulfield Guineas) and the holy grail, Shocking in 2009's Melbourne Cup.
It had taken Kavanagh 18-years to become an overnight success since he took the plunge at Mt Gambier in 1991.
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The TTSC holds an ASIC issued
ACN 112 056 032 | Australian Financial Services Licence No. 288 213.
