First Immortal set for Caulfield return
First Immortal, trained by the father-son duo Mark and Levi Kavanagh, is gearing up for an exciting campaign aimed at securing a berth in both the prestigious Group 1 Caulfield Cup (2400m) and the illustrious Group 1 Melbourne Cup (3200m).
After his last outing, where he finished seventh in the Group 3 Geelong Cup (2400m) last October, First Immortal is set to make his comeback at Caulfield this Saturday in the Listed Anniversary Vase (1600m).
Levi Kavanagh outlined the stable’s strategy, indicating that they are eyeing the Listed Mornington Cup (2400m) next month and the Listed Andrew Ramsden Stakes (2800m) at Flemington in May. Both races offer ballot exemptions for the Caulfield Cup and the Melbourne Cup, respectively.
“We haven’t locked in anything, but at this stage we’re heading to the Mornington Cup and the Andrew Ramsden,” Kavanagh stated.
“That’s the sort of path we like and keep him at home, but there are plenty of options there.
“We’ll see how he comes through his first run and where he heads to next will be based on that.
“We had a bit of pressure on last year but didn’t quite get into the races we wanted to as we didn’t have the ratings for it.
“We’ve got a higher rating now, but it certainly can take the pressure off if we can win one of them.”