Trainer Peter Moody will supply two of the seven opponents for his champion mare Black Caviar when she makes her long awaited return to the race track in the Group 1 $500,000 Black Caviar Lightning(1000m) at Flemington.
Black Caviar has drawn barrier two in the Lightning. Photo by Taron Clarke.
Black Caviar is searching for her twenty-third straight victory and has drawn barrier two in the weight for age sprint down the Flemington straight with Moody’s other runners Golden Archer and Moment Of Change drawn either side of the mighty mare at one and three respectively.
Moody can’t fault Black Caviar as she steps out for the first time since scoring a dramatic win in the Group 1 £500,000 The Diamond Jubilee Stakes (6 furlongs) at Royal Ascot on June 23.
“She’s done super and I’ll be disappointed if she gets beat,” Moody said.
Black Caviar has had a trouble free preparation after connection were forced to give the world’s number one sprinter an enforced break after the trip to England took its toll on her huge frame.
Moody took Black Caviar to Caulfield two weeks ago to gallop in between races and declared that she is the best she has been in a couple of years as she prepares for the race that the Victoria Racing Club named in her honour .
”I don’t think she has presented any better than that for a long time,’ Moody said.’
“At the end of her last preparation she was cranky, swishing her tail and getting her head on the side.”
”It was the Black Caviar of old back to win 17 or 18 and gave me a real positive to go back to the races with her.”
Black Caviar rounded off her Lightning preparation with a solid workout over 800m on the course proper at Caulfield on Tuesday morning and pulled up in superb order.
Moody doesn’t expect his smart sprinter Golden Archer and Group 1 winner Moment Of Change to trouble his stable star but is looking for good performances to kick off their Autumn campaigns.
‘I’m not kidding myself thinking they can trouble their stablemate but I expect them to run very well and be competitive,” Moody said.
Even though Moody would love to show off Black Caviar at the major Carnivals up the East Coast of Australia, he hasn’t put any plans in concrete until after she runs in the Lightning.
“At this point it’s a one start campaign and how she performs on that day dictates if and where she goes onto,” Moody said.
“But if she comes out and wins like the Black Caviar of old, by four or five lengths and runs a scintillating time and pulls up kicking her brands off, well then we can start looking at options.”
“She travelled back from England really well, lost just seven kilos, really appreciated her time off and then had some time in the water walker.
“Her legs are all good. This is the race, the only race, I’ve set her for.
“It’s the best she has been in two or three years.”
Moody’s number one stable rider Luke Nolen will again be on Black Caviar while Daniel Stackhouse will be having his first ride on Golden Archer and Linda Meech will be reunited with Moment Of Change.
