The world’s number one racehorse Black Caviar has smashed the Flemington 1000m track record in winning her twenty third consecutive race by taking out the Group 1 $500,000 Black Caviar Lightning(1000m) today.
Black Caviar took her winning sequence to 23 with Black Caviar Lightning win. Photo by Race Horse Photos Australia.
The great sprinting mare showed no signs of the injuries that had kept her away from the race track for seven months as she strode down the Flemington straight to eclipse the long standing record of 55.5s held by Special in winning the 1988 Lightning.
Black Caviar ran 55.42s in a hand canter with Luke Nolen easing her down to clock 31.43s for the final 600m to win by two and a half lengths from her stablemates Moment Of Change and Golden Archer.
In front of a huge Flemington crowd, Black Caviar showed why she is the best in the world and exceeded all expectations that trainer Peter Moody had anticipated.
“It’s the first time I’ve been nervous for a long time. I suppose it’s been the seven month wait, but I’m just so proud of her,” Moody said.
“Little bit emotional for the first time. Shit its good to have her back. She’s just a good news story, very grateful for the owners that they are prepared to share her with everyone and I think that’s very much understated in this whole story.”
“Image having something this good and sharing it with every bugger in Australia. They’re true blue Aussies aren’t they?”
If Moody was nervous going into today’s race, Nolen and the Black Caviar were quick to settle any worries and after a clean jump the mighty mare always had the race under her control.
Nolen had the giant sprinter under a strangle hold on as he let her stride away from the rest of the field at the 300m before giving the reins a little shake at the 100m and then letting her coast to the line.
“It was good to see her win,” Nolen said.
“I think she was knocked around by the heat today, it was pretty warm and mares seem to cope worse with it than the male counterparts. She did toe up like she can through the early and middle stages.”
“But she swapped stride then she toed into it nice. I just give her a squeeze because I didn’t want her to get too complacent. I shook the reins at her a little today and made sure she went to the line.”
Nolen had to erase the bad memories of Royal Ascot when he dropped his hands on Black Caviar and she pulled up on him but held on to win by the narrowest of margins in the Group 1 £500,000 The Diamond Jubilee Stakes (6 furlongs) last June and he wasn’t going to let that happen again.
But Nolen and Black Caviar were never in any fear of defeat with the slick sections that the mighty mare was able to run.
Black Caviar made it three Lightnings in a row in taking her undefeated winning run to twenty-three and ticked her prizemoney earnings over the $7 million mark.
