Promising galloper Tavidance has put an off day behind him, returning to his best with an easy six-length win at Flemington.
The triumph gave the Mick Price and Michael Kent Junior stable a race-to-race double following the win of three-year-old filly Cafe Rizu in Saturday’s Grinders Coffee Roasters Plate (1800m).
Tavidance’s success in Saturday’s Seppelt Wines Trophy (1720m) at Flemington was the stable’s fourth win for the afternoon as they also claimed races with Odeum and Gypsy Choice at Moe.
The race worked out perfectly for the gelding, who rebounded from a last-start unplaced effort at Caulfield.
“It worked out so well. Rolling tempo, soft track, they opened up which allowed him to get off the fence which was always our concern,” Kent Junior said.
“The way he went on with it was impressive.”
Kent Junior said they would continue to work through the grades with Tavidance but he believed he would measure up to open class or better.
Tavidance ($2.40 fav) defeated Winning Partner ($4.60) with Naivasha ($11) a short half-head away third.
Jockey Jamie Kah had Tavidance ideally positioned in third place throughout and took him to the lead early in the straight.
Kah said Tavidance was a different horse when he had galloping room and that last start he also copped a bump which brought him undone, as did the stop-start tempo.
Cafe Rizu completed an early winning double for champion jockey Damien Oliver who was avictorious on Fatigues in the previous race.