Black Caviar stretched her winning streak to 19 in the Lightning Stakes at Flemington
Super mare Black Caviar stretched her winning streak to nineteen in the Group 1 $750,000 Coolmore Lightning Stakes (1000m) at Flemington today equalling Gloaming and Desert Gold’s record.
Black Caviar maintained her unbeaten status when she cleared away from the game Hay List to take out her second Lightning after duplicating the same result as last year.
Starting the $1.10 favourite, the mighty mare always had the race in her control after bouncing out of the gates to share the lead with Hay List ($12) and Buffering ($71).
Luke Nolen had Black Caviar still on the bit at the 350m when Michael Rodd on Buffering was under extreme pressure and Glyn Schofield was just starting to feel for his horse.
For one fleeting moment it looked as if the champ was in for a fight with Hay List starting to dig deep but when Nolen urged her at the 150m, Black Caviar put the result beyond doubt in a twinkling of an eye.
Nolen was lost for words saying that today was one of her toughest assignments that she had to achieve and came through in fine style.
“She had a couple of hurdles to overcome. It’s the first time in her life she has ever had to back up and coming back from 1400m to 1000m. I just have to take my hat to that mare, gee she’s a bloody wonderful mare and she really toughed it out and she touched me today. She showed a lot courage today and fought it out,” Nolen said.
“She might have had a slightly tougher run than we thought she would have.”
With Nolen having to fully extend the champion, Black Caviar got to within .03 of a second of Special’s course record of 55.5 and in the end had one and three quarter lengths to spare over Hay List.
Trainer Peter Moody was quick to suggest that she might not back up next week in the Group 1 $500,000 Futurity Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield and today might have been her last run before travelling overseas, possibly to Dubai and onto England.
Today’s Lightning win is the first leg of the the US$1m Global Sprint Challenge Bonus and the $US2 million Golden Shaheen (1200m) in Dubai, a new leg of the series this year, and the Golden Jubilee Stakes (1200m) at Royal Ascot in June are two other legs that Moody has her aimed for.
Moody said that Black Caviar had pleased him all week in the lead up to today’s race and was quick to praise the effort of runner up Hay List.
“Any time she’s up for fight he’s the only horse that has made her fight and all due respect he’s a great horse isn’t he. It’s just unfortunate that he’s run into an era with an equine freak,” Moody said.
“She was never going to show the turn of foot that she had last year when she was first up. We had the best horse in the race and we were going to dominate the race and take it up to them.”
“It’s the closest she has come to a course record and she was pushed by a great horse. She’s just a champion.”
Moody will now sit down with connections to decide where Black Caviar’s next run will be and if she goes to Dubai before England, today’s run will more than likely be her last in Australia before heading off overseas.
