Tavi Time (NZ) Strikes in Scone Cup

Karaka graduate Tavi Time (NZ) (Tavistock) took his career earnings past A$800,000 with victory in Friday’s A$200,000 Listed Darley Scone Cup (1600m).

Tavi Time was offered by breeders Pencarrow Stud during Book 1 of Karaka 2021, where he was a $60,000 purchase by Kiltannon Stables. He has now had 21 starts for nine wins, five placings and A$823,625 in stakes.

The Scone Cup was the second black-type victory for Tavi Time, who had previously taken out the Group Three Summer Cup (2000m) at Randwick on Boxing Day. Trainer Kris Lees spelled the five-year-old after that breakthrough win, then brought him back with a second at Randwick on April 19 and a fifth in the Group Three Hawkesbury Cup (1600m) on May 3.

Tavi Time was right back at the peak of his powers third-up at Scone on Friday. He settled three back on the rail for jockey Jay Ford before getting a split two off the fence in the home straight. Ford drove his mount through that gap and Tavi Time produced a quality turn of foot, dashing to the front and winning by a length and three-quarters.

“Tavi Time has race fitness, having had the two runs back, and wasn’t far away on heavy ground in the Hawkesbury Cup a fortnight ago,” Lees said. “He appreciated getting back on to better ground at Scone and I was expecting him to run a good race.”

The Scone Cup is a qualifier for the A$3m The Big Dance (1600m) at Randwick in November. Tavi Time ran in that big-money feature this season, finishing fourth behind fellow Karaka graduate and subsequent Group One winner Gringotts (NZ) (Per Incanto).

One of 55 individual black-type winners sired by former Cambridge Stud stallion Tavistock (NZ), Tavi Time is out of the Group One Telegraph Handicap (1200m) winner and Group One Livamol Classic (2040m) and WFA Classic (1600m) placegetter Guiseppina (NZ) (Johar).