PROLIFIC Albury based trainer Brett Cavanough considers himself lucky to have been able take home the Pluck filly from the celebrated ‘Leica’ clan that was the centre of so much attention at this week’s Inglis Classic Yearling Sale.
The bay filly was is from the first crop by Pluck, a Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf winning son of More Than Ready.
Sold on account of Vinery where both Pluck and his father stand, Monday’s Classic filly was knocked down to a delighted Cavanough for $60,000.
“I was looking to buy a nice filly and, to quote Alan Bell, he said he thought she was the best filly on the ground,” Cavanough told Sportsman.
“Put it this way, if it was colt I wouldn’t have had it, Alan Bell would have had it.”
Canavough’s purchase is out of a Maroof mare named Dream Leica who is a half-sister to Bob Scarborough-bred Group 1 winners Leica Guv and Light Fantastic.
This is the same family that produced Gai Waterhouse’s dual Doncaster winner Pharaoh.
“I had a fair bit to do with the dam-side of the pedigree because I’ve had a bit to do with Wood Nook over the last ten years and I noticed the foal out of her the year before he wasn’t as good and I was just waiting for a filly out of her that had a bit of scope and the family takes a bit of time and I thought she fitted the bill,” Cavanough explained.
“And she had a little bit of More Than Ready about her the way she walked in front. I just liked her because she was a scopey fill that might go early because of the Pluck factor.
“I’ve done a lot of work for Vinery and I have got some good contacts there and I knew that Pluck was a pretty good racehorse and I’ve got some videos and whatever and I thought he might be a sleeping giant.”
Should Cavanough’s forecast come to fruition, Pluck would join his sire More Than Ready as a Champion Freshman and enhance the reputation of More Than Ready as a sire producer.
