Trainer trophy on whip and prayer

MARK Kavanagh has acknowledges something must happen if his stable is to stop Tony McEvoy taking out the Adelaide Trainers' Premiership.

MARK Kavanagh hasn't conceded the Adelaide Trainers' Premiership - but his stable acknowledges something has to happen to stop Tony McEvoy waltzing away with the title.

Kavanagh has pocketed the past two premierships but trails his major rival by nine wins, with just over two months of the season to go.

"We haven't thrown in the towel but I can't say we're full of confidence," Levi Kavanagh, who manages the Adelaide operation for his father, said.

"The trouble is if we don't catch Tony this year I think he's going to be even stronger in the years ahead."

McEvoy has around 80 horses in work at his Kildalton Park property near Angaston, while the Kavanagh camp has 35 horses at its Morphettville base.

Levi, who took over in Adelaide mid-season from his brother Sam, when the latter opted to open his own stable, said his team hadn't had the good run necessary to put McEvoy under pressure.

"Given the numbers we've got to have a lot better winning strike rate," he said. "We had strong hopes for the (Adelaide) carnival but a few horses got sick and then we ran into Black Caviar a couple of times."

Kavanagh was thrilled with the performance of We're Gonna Rock who ran a rapidly closing second to Black Caviar in the Group 1 Goodwood.

The Fastnet Rock five-year-old is now in the paddock and will be prepared for the big sprints in the Melbourne spring.

There are no Kavanagh superstars contesting Saturday's meeting at Morphettville Parks but the younger brother of millionaire mare, Devil Moon, is one to watch.

"He (Moon Devil) had an issue with the barriers but we seem to have got him right now," Levi Kavanagh said.

"He blew them away at the provincial and we think we have him back on track."

Kavanagh has nominated six horses for the Parks although last start winner Quench The Thirst won't run and two-year-old, Sheer Talent, will likely debut in Melbourne. McEvoy has nominated five runners including three two-year-olds and stayer, Sky Raider.