$12,000 buy chasing million-dollar dream

Tavros is the ultimate country product, which is taking trainer Craig Martin and connections towards million-dollar dreams.

The $12,000 purchase at the Hunter Thoroughbred Breeders Association in 2022 has raced far and wide from Moree to Coonamble in his 21 starts, but his future is in the city and the Big Dance.

His seven wins have earned him a place  in the Listed McKell Cup at Rosehill, as a $10 chance, on Saturday.

But it could have been with someone else other than Martin.

“At the end of last campaign, the owners thought about sending him to a city trainer,” Martin said. “That’s what happens when they are good.

“I argued for him to stay with me because I might not get another like him.

“He likes attention and wouldn’t get that in a city stable.”

Tavros showed potential from the early part of his career, but it was once he got to a mile beyond where he came into his own.

This season has been his best, starting with victory in the Moree Cup, before a second in the Dubbo Cup and third in the Coonamble Cup.

He went on to the Little Dance and with better luck would have been closer to Ospeniko and Hollywood Hero than fifth beaten 1-3/4 lengths.

He finished his 2025 by being the Country Classic runner-up, but Martin knew his best was to come. It was why he wanted to keep him.

“I have always thought that 2000m could be his best trip – he is so tough,” Martin said. “We hadn’t got him there until the Country Classic and he gets another crack at it on Saturday with no weight.

“This has been his best prep, he earned a spot in the Big Dance and has not run a bad race.”

It is a campaign that started with a fifth in the Country Championships, where he was well supported at big odds.

“He was ridiculous odds that day, they gave him no respect,” Martin said.

He hit the line hard from well back for fourth in a leader-dominated Tamworth Cup before victory at the Scone stand-alone meeting, which changed Martin thinking.

“I had thought about going to town, but jockey manager Drew Smith pointed out the Gunnedah Cup was a Big Dance qualifier,” Martin said.

“I kept an eye on it and when it looked a bit weak, he went there on a quick back-up and won it.

“The plan changed again after that and we went to 1800m in town to have him cherry ripe for this race on the weekend.

“We had to start thinking about how we are going to get him to the big race in November, so this might be his last run this time.

“He is a little out of his grade but they wouldn’t want to underestimate.”