Cover image courtesy of Bronwen Healy
Flemington hosted its Spring Preview meeting on Wednesday, and among it was the first 2-year-old race of the season, the Darley Spring Preview over 900 metres. Hotly watched as an early guide to juvenile form, the race was won by the Nicconi filly Cavalla, trained by Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr.
The filly was wide in the betting, a double-figure chance on most pre-post markets. She jumped well from barrier one, albeit a little wayward before settling down for jockey Patrick Maloney.
Cavalla was headed early by Yakutsk (Capitalist), and she tracked that horse along the rail in the early parts. At the course proper, she emerged into contention with Nominator (Zoustar) and a fast-closing Contemporar (Exceed And Excel) for Godolphin.
Inside the final 200 metres, it looked a good argument between the four horses until Cavalla and Contemporary edged ahead.
There was little between the pair at the judge, with Cavalla winning by 0.2l to Contemporary, and 1.2l back to Nominator for third. Yakutsk was another length behind in fourth. The final time was 52.91s on a Soft 5 surface.
Maribyrnong next?
Cavalla’s debut was off the back of a decent Sandown jump-out on September 15. The filly didn’t win that morning, but she showed good gate speed and was second in a field that included Yakutsk.
Co-trainer Mick Price was trackside on Wednesday and, while he was pleased with Cavalla’s win, he was also coy about being too enthusiastic.
Cavalla pictured as a yearling
“The winner is always impressive for 2-year-olds, everyone is always on them,” he said. “I did think, looking in the mounting yard, that Contemporary looked a beautiful horse, so I was happy for him to run second. The question is what to do with her now, I guess.”
Price mentioned that the race’s winner two years ago, the Hinchinbrook filly Mildred, had gone on to win the Listed Maribyrnong Trial S. after this race.
“I’m not saying this filly will do that, but she’s had experience down the straight so if Grahame Begg can do it, I can have a look at it,” he said.
“I’m not saying this filly (Cavalla) will do that, but she’s had experience down the straight so if Grahame Begg can do it, I can have a look at it." - Mick Price
“Cavalla is workmanlike. She hasn’t missed a beat. She’s a bit wintry in the coat, but the knees are good and she’s never been shin-sore. She’s just a good, solid, workmanlike 2-year-old filly that will train on.”
Jockey Paddy Moloney had only this filly to ride on the Flemington card, and she proved worth the effort.
“She had only the one jump-out coming here today, and she’s had a good blow-out after the race so naturally there’s improvement there,” the jockey said.
“It’s exciting that she can come here probably half a run short and be able to get the job done. She’s had a good look at the straight and it (the Maribyrnong Trial S.) should be a nice race for her next start.”
Bowcock-bred, KBL-sold
Cavalla was bred by prominent breeder Andrew Bowcock from a mare that has been very good to him, Bella Corona (Beautiful Crown {USA}).
Bella Corona was the first stakes winner for her sire, whom Bowcock stood, winning the Listed Keith Mackay H. in 2003 and, in her 13 years as a broodmare, she produced the stakes winner Bewhatyouwannabe (Fastnet Rock), who was a triple Listed-winner in Queensland for the Bowcocks. The mare is retired now, and Cavalla was her final foal in 2019.
The filly was sent to Kandice Pritchard and Brad Lowe of KBL Thoroughbreds, who prepared her for this year’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale. From the KBL draft, she sold to Mick Price for $130,000, one of 13 yearlings by Nicconi at that Sale.
Andrew Bowcock with Cavalla at the 2021 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale | Image courtesy of KBL Thoroughbreds
“She was with us probably six months prior to the Sale,” Pritchard said. “Out of the draft, she was the standout filly. A beautiful temperament and attitude, and we knew she was going to be something special. You can’t have a horse that perfect and it not be able to run.”
The relationship between the Bowcocks and KBL Thoroughbreds goes back many years. Pritchard said Andrew and Lasca Bowcock were among the first of her loyal clients when she and Lowe set up on their own.
“I’ve been preparing horses for Andrew and Lasca for about the last seven years,” Pritchard said. “They were the first people to give us a yearling to prepare under our own banner, and we also sold the million-dollar Acouplamas yearling by Zoustar for them a few years ago.”
That particular horse was Lot 320 at the 2019 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling, a colt by Zoustar from the excellent Bowcock broodmare Acouplamas (Al Maher). The colt made $1.075 million, selling to Yulong Investments to be eventually named Yulong Code. Now with Peter Moody, he has won three races from nine starts.
Yulong Code pictured as a yearling
“We’ve had a really good run with the Bowcocks,” Pritchard said. “They’re really good clients and we’re just lucky that they give us these lovely horses. Cavalla was just beautiful at the Sale. She was unflappable, nothing bothered her.”
Unretire her
Being Bella Corona’s final foal, Cavalla came with a tinge of regret, according to Pritchard.
“We actually rang Andrew and said he needed to bring the mare back, that he had to unretire her,” she said. “This was after Cavalla arrived and the mare was getting on. We put the pressure on and told him to go and get her to bring her back.”
Bella Corona has remained in retirement since foaling Cavalla, the dam of nine live foals. However, Bowcock was excited enough about Wednesday’s result to give Pritchard’s suggestion some thought.
Andrew Bowcock and Kandice Pritchard
“We were going to keep this filly,” he said of Cavalla. “I should have kept her, and Mick Price offered me a leg after her sale. I’ve done this before. I should have taken a leg in Response (whom Bowcock bred and is the dam of Golden Slipper winner Estijaab), and I should have taken a leg in the Guineas winner, In Top Swing. That’s how it goes, and you’ve got to roll with the punches.”
Despite his stoicism, Bowcock admitted he was emotional on Wednesday when Cavalla rolled over the line. His phone began to ring, and one of the callers was Garry Cuddy from Spendthrift Farm.
“They were desperate to buy her at Magic Millions,” Bowcock said. “There were plenty of people that fell in love with her, but Mick was the one that paid up. He’s been a supporter of mine since Beautiful Crown was in his heyday, and he always comes and looks at my yearlings. He’s done the hard yards with this filly, and let’s hope she goes further now.”
The broodmare Bella Corona was retired last year and, at 21 years old, she’s a nanny at Holbrook Farm. Bowcock hasn’t ruled out breeding her again, but he’ll look after her well if he does.
“She’s (Bella Corona) 21 and I’ve bred older mares than that in my lifetime, and bred some good ones,” he said.
“She’s (Bella Corona) 21 and I’ve bred older mares than that in my lifetime, and bred some good ones." - Andrew Bowcock
Cavalla was the only offspring that Bella Corona foaled by Nicconi. It was a cross that Bowcock says was both happenstance and good fortune. He had a share in Nicconi, and he sent Bella Corona to the stallion because of that, but also because he liked the cross.
Nicconi | Standing at Widden Victoria
“If someone was to do a 7x7, they’d find that she has about six crosses of Hyperion through her,” Bowcock said. “It’s speed on speed. Beautiful Crown himself was a very fast racehorse, and his mother broke records in America as being one of the fastest horses in history.
"You put Nicconi over that, and you look at the speedsters he’s been throwing, like Nature Strip and such. It was a great match.”
Nicconi has entered his twelfth season at stud this year, the sire of 22 stakes winners to date and 430 winners overall. He is one of the 12 sires at Widden’s new Victoria base, standing for $27,500 (inc GST).
Oaks, Derby Previews
The Kennedy Oaks Preview over 1800 metres revealed a tidy winner in Barb Raider (Rebel Raider) on Wednesday’s Flemington card. The 3-year-old filly, trained at Mornington by Jerome Hunter and ridden by Craig Williams, was a clear winner by 2l to Blackcomb (Vancouver) and Tiz My Bay (Cable Bay {Ire}).
Barb Raider has had four starts to date, and she’s been very consistent with two wins and two placings. Her two wins have now come back-to-back in her last two starts, and she’s a smart Oaks option for owner Graeme Gathercole.
The filly was bred by Gathercole, and she’s the first foal for the Host (Chi) mare Graebarb. This is the same family as the G1 Western Australia Derby winner Firing Range (Kala Dancer {GB}).
For the colts and geldings, the Victoria Derby Preview over the same distance occurred shortly after, and Gundec (Kermadec {NZ}) made it an easy feature-double for jockey Craig Williams, and the third of his four winners across the day. The 3-year-old colt won the race by 0.75l to Sharper (All Too Hard) and Sebastian The Fox (Foxwedge).
All being well, Gundec will be the first Derby runner for his Warrnambool trainer Symon Wilde, with Wilde confirming the colt could be a very live chance in the G1 Victoria Derby during the Cup Carnival.
Gundec is an Inglis Digital graduate, selling last year from St Aubins Stud to Scone Equestrian for as little as $10,000. He had two unplaced starts in New South Wales, but since his move to Wilde he has been second at Geelong before winning on Wednesday.
He was the last foal from the Fantastic Light (USA) mare Sunup, who was trained by Guy Walter during a lightly raced career.
