8 Dec 2022Almanzor’s son Bavicia isn’t the finished article just yet, but regular rider Dean Holland believes it’s only a matter of time before the colt realises his full potential.
The Tony and Calvin McEvoy representative stepped up to 2000 metres at Warrnambool for the first time in his brief career to break his maiden and while the margin was slender, it was a major step in the right direction.
“He’s got a ton of ability this bloke, but he doesn’t know how to put them away and, to be honest, I waited as long as I could to set out after the leader,” Holland said.
“I thought I was going to put lengths on them, but I could feel him starting to think about it so I had to kid him as much as possible and produced the whip late to get over the line.
“I used him out of the gates to ride him like the best horse and he settled great. He got the job done and he’s got a lot of potential and is going to gain plenty of confidence from that.”
Bavicia was purchased at New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sale out of Curraghmore’s draft by Octagon Bloodstock for $260,000.
He was reoffered by Phoenix Park at the Ready to Run Sale where he was secured by McEvoy Mitchell Racing and agent Bevan Smith for $330,000.
Bavicia is out of the Guillotine mare Tricoteuse, who had another Almanzor colt in 2021, and she is from the family of the G1 New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes winner Arlingtonboulevard.