Racing: Electrifying burst gives Kavanagh a pleasant shock

Trainer Mark Kavanagh. Photo / Getty Images

Flemington trainer Mark Kavanagh said it was a big task for Shocking to make it back-to-back Melbourne Cups but the entire showed he was in great form for the famous race with his impressive win in the Makybe Diva Stakes.

"It's a hard ask but he is unbeaten at Flemington," Kavanagh said after the 5-year-old powered home to win Saturday's 1600m feature.

"Maybe you'll see him at Flemington right the way through as much as we can.

"The Turnbull looks a good option, but I don't want to set anything in concrete today. I want to see how he pulls up. The Cox Plate is on the radar. He's not a Moonee Valley horse, but he's going good."

Shocking has raced at the home of the Melbourne Cup four times for as many wins including his Lexus Stakes (2500m) and Cup (3200m) victories three days apart last spring.

He raced only twice last autumn and missed the Australian Cup with a hoof abscess.

But Kavanagh says he is more mature and switched on now than he was at the same stage last year for his assault on the 150th running of the Cup, in which he is weighted to carry 57kg - 6kg more than he was successful with last year.

The son of Street Cry became the first Cup winner to go on and win the Makybe Diva, then named the Craiglee Stakes, since Jeune in 1995.

Kavanagh was pleasantly surprised with the weight-for-age 1600m group two victory.

"Amazing, I guess you just had to be there," he said.

"He is going better than he was last year, but I thought it was a bit of a hard ask second-up over a mile. He's lightly raced, 12 months older and he certainly showed us that he's a lot better."

Ridden by Michael Rodd, Shocking, specked at A$21 and starting at A$18, came with a withering run to score by a half-length from Heart Of Dreams (A$7.50) with last year's winner Vigor (A$5.50) 1 lengths away third.

- AAP