A STRONG finish in the Sodens Hotel Class 2 Plate has the Rouark in a strong position leading up to the Country Championship qualifier in Wagga.
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The Brett Cavanough-trained bay gelding beat stable-mate Northern Myth home by nearly two lengths at Albury yesterday.
Overcoming a sprinkling of rain as the field approached the gate, jockey Richard Bensley set the three-year old alight on the straight to claim a convincing victory.
Both Ruark and Northern Myth had a good enough spring to get by the Brian Cox-trained favourite Dalrada in the dying stages.
After the race, Cavanough said the gelding had earned itself a rest after his strong finish.
“We'll have to be a little precious before the heats in Wagga come around in February,” he said.
“You're only allowed to have four wins to go into that.
“He's on two from four at the moment, two wins and two seconds.
“He's a nice, progressive horse.
“We'll sit back and take stock for a fortnight with him, he'll have an easy couple of weeks.
“We'll have to think about how we're going to get to February with him.
“The three race plan, if he's good enough, would be the championships, Albury Guineas, then the championships again in February.”
Cavanough said he was also impressed by Northern Myth in its fifth outing.
“She's probably had enough preparation,” he said.
“She's won one, run seconds and had a couple of ordinary ones.
“But she handled the wet track really well in the end.
“She's got plenty of upside, we'll put her away.”
Cavanough and jockey Bensley have formed a good partnership in recent times, with the Albury trainer hoping to extend their good form for as long as possible.
“It's good when you're both hot, it looks really good,” he said.
“It certainly makes the job a lot easier.”
Bensley concurred, saying the pair had enjoyed a phenomenal run of luck to date.
“It's quite unbelievable really,” he said
“He rang me back in March to ride a few in Canberra and we had a bit of luck straight off the bat.
“Things have just gone ahead in leaps and bounds from there.
“I think our combination works pretty well.”
Cavanough's Margiel Stryker was his other performer, placing in race three.