The chances of Black Caviar running in and winning her own race, the Group 1 $500,000 Black Caviar Lightning (1000m) at Flemington on February 16 have increased with the mighty mare returning to pre-training today.
Black Caviar has returned to pre-training. Photo by: Steven Dowden
Trainer Peter Moody said that the undefeated champion was resuming work at Peter Clarke’s property in Murchison and if everything went to plan would be ready to compete in her third Lightning after winning the last two runnings of the weight for age sprint down the Flemington straight.
“She’s back into work tomorrow up at Peter Clarke’s in Murchison,” Moody said yesterday.
“She’s been back with Peter for five weeks now where she’s done three weeks work followed by two weeks off that she completes today.
“She’s full bore from tomorrow towards the Lightning.”
Moody and connections are very keen to run Black Caviar in the Lightning after earlier in the year Victoria Racing renamed the glamour sprint in her honour, but Moody added that they will monitor her progress very closely and if there is any doubt that her unbeaten record could be jeopardised they wouldn’t hesitate to retire her.
“We’re very happy with her but obviously extremely conscious of the situation we are in with her that we don’t want to see her beaten now,” Moody said.
“We certainly won’t hesitate to retire her along the way but I’m hopeful that we do get her back to the track in the great form that she’s shown all along.”
Black Caviar has established a huge following and is consistently attracting 30,000 plus crowds to venues when she makes an appearance and packed out Morphettville in Adelaide at her last two Group 1 wins before heading off to England where she took her winning tally to twenty-two with her historic victory in the Group 1 £500,000 The Diamond Jubilee Stakes (6 furlongs) at Royal Ascot on June 23.
The mighty mare scrambled home by a short head over Moonlight Cloud with Luke Nolen easing her down close to the finish line and was subsequently diagnosed with muscle tears across her hind quarters and immediately returned to Australia to recuperate before commencing an Autumn farewell tour.
After the Lightning, Moody plans to send Black Caviar north to Sydney and then Brisbane to give racegoers a chance to see the mighty mare for the final time on the racetrack before heading for the breeding barn.
“My dream is for her to come back in the autumn and give her a run in at least Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane in a farewell tour,” Moody said.
“It would have been much easier to retire her, but I always wanted to see her finish her racing here at home.”
Black Caviar is undefeated from twenty-two starts including twelve Group 1 wins and over $6.8 million in prizemoney and as well as claiming her second Australian Horse of the Year title, the mighty mare was crowned Cartier Sprinter of the Year in Europe for 2012.
