THAT’S racing! It’s a hackneyed phrase we’ve all heard.
Just don’t mention it to Kylie Gavenlock. That doesn’t wash with her at all – and understandably so.
The Gosford trainer with four decades of experience under her belt (she began when she was 19 and is now 60), and who has long-standing clients such as Kim Harding OAM (the first woman to be appointed to the Board of RacingNSW) and Greg and Donna Kolivos (who owned Golden Slipper winner Pierro), knew early on that Briasa was a “very nice horse”.
Thus she isn’t in the least surprised that the promising young sprinter has won five of his six starts.
Nor that he has been heavily backed into favoritism for Saturday’s $1m Group 2 The Hunter (1300m) at Newcastle.
However, Gavenlock’s name won’t appear in the racebook and form guides as the trainer of the Smart Missile four-year-old.
Briasa is in the care of Michael, Wayne and John Hawkes at Rosehill Gardens, and last year’s winning Hunter rider Tyler Schiller takes the mount.
Gavenlock educated Briasa, but never got the chance to take him to the races – and it hurts.
Especially when you consider she trained the gelding’s dam Mary’s Grace, and won seven races with her for her owners (the Johnson family).
That included victories at her first two starts at Gosford and Wyong in 2007, two Royal Randwick successes along with the Listed Mona Lisa Stakes (1350m) at Wyong in 2008 and then Darley Crown (1300m) at Hawkesbury the following year.
The Mona Lisa, run later than normal at Wyong that year because of the havoc equine influence wreaked on the racing industry, was in fact Gavenlock’s maiden Stakes triumph.
“As well as Mary’s Grace, I trained quite a few other winners for her owners,” Gavenlock said.
“Being one of the mare’s last foals (Mary’s Grace died only a couple of months ago), I was thrilled to be given Briasa to train.
“It was the first time I had been given one of her foals.
“The owners told me to take my time with him, and not to rush.
“We did that, and he was a real handful.
“Mary Grace’s trackwork rider was keen to continue an association, but rode him the first time and said he wouldn’t ride him again.
“No one else would ride Briasa, except our daughter Skye, who got smashed up a few times but kept getting back on because we knew he could gallop.
“If you patted him on the neck when he was going three-quarter pace, he would prop.
“We didn’t push him as a two-year-old and gave him two nice trials (he was placed in both) at Gosford and on the Beaumont track at Newcastle in August and September last year as an early three-year-old.
“I could have won a trial with him, but that would not have achieved anything.
“The purpose was to educate Briasa by giving him experience racing in between horses.
“We discussed the situation after those trials, and all agreed it was best to give him a break.
“He never came back to me, and instead went to a pre-trainer and then Team Hawkes.
“It was so upsetting. The owners told us not to be in any hurry with Briasa.
“We were promised the world, and got an atlas.”
Gavenlock says she has watched all Briasa’s six starts, and feels he probably should be unbeaten.
“When he ran fourth at Randwick in October (to Ostraka in a Benchmark 94 Handicap, 1200m), he drew near the outside, was the widest runner on the home turn and was beaten less than a length,” she said.
“Yes he is stepping up to Group company in The Hunter, but he’s very good and young horses such as he with a light weight (53kg minimum) can definitely win these races.
“From our point of view, losing him has been a life changer for our family and our stable.
“I haven’t got one anywhere near as good as him.”
. HOOFNOTE: TAB.com.au will be hoping Briasa doesn’t make it six wins from seven starts on Saturday.
After opening at $11 last weekend, he went up $5 on Wednesday after The Hunter acceptances were finalised and continued to firm, being the best-backed runner on the 10-race program.
Late on Thursday afternoon, he was a dominant $2.80 favorite with The Kosciuszko winner Far Too Easy closest at $4.40.
Story John Curtis, November 14, 2024 - Pics Bradley Photos
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