Trainer Mick Price will leave the riding tactics for Flying Artie in the hands of champion jockey Damien Oliver to find the right path down the Flemington straight in the Group 1 $750,000 Black Caviar Lightning (1000m) on Saturday.
Damien Oliver and Flying Artie, above, will combine again in the Black Caviar Lightning at Flemington. Photo by Ultimate Racing Photos.
“He (Oliver) makes his own decision,” Price told racing.com.
“We talk to him but he’ll have his own plan and there will be no one trying harder to win a Lightning than Damien Oliver.
“I think it will work out OK. Star Turn in (barrier) two, Heatherly in three and us in four – they’re not going to go to the fence obviously – and with Faatinah out in 11, there’s speed in front of us and speed out a little.”
“I’m assuming they go in one bunch. I don’t know what will happen if they split but that’s the vagaries of straight racing.”
Flying Artie is one of the top fancies for the 1000m scamper and his record of one win and a second down the Flemington straight will be a huge advantage for Oliver’s quest to win his sixth Black Caviar Lightning.
“Tempo down the straight is usually a bit different and he’s shown that he can run really well down the straight so they are positives,” Oliver told racing.com.
“He’s developed and matured and you’ll see a lovely furnished three-year-old when he steps out on Saturday.”
Flying Artie was beaten a nose on debut over the same course and distance as the Black Caviar Lightning when second to Power Trip in the Group 3 $150,000 racing.com Maribyrnong Plate during the 2015 Melbourne Spring Carnival and then returned to Flemington last Spring to win the Group 1 $500,000 Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m) from Astern and Star Turn.
Oliver missed the winning ride on Flying Artie in the Coolmore Stud Stakes because of a reckless riding suspension he incurred for his winning ride on the colt in the Group 3 $350,000 Catanach’s Jewellers Blue Sapphire Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield on October 12 and big race jockey Hugh Bowman substituted to produce a first class ride get the Artie Schiller three year old home.
Flying Artie and rival three year old Star Turn currently share favouritism at $4.60 at Ladbrokes.com.au for the Black Caviar Lightning just ahead of the Bryce Heys trained Spieth at $5.
The Team Hawkes trained Star Turn beat the older horses during the 2016 Melbourne Spring Carnival when he won the Group 2 $400,000 Mitsubishi Electric Schillaci Stakes (1100m) at Caulfield on October 8 then back to his own age group ran third to Flying Artie in the Coolmore Stud Stakes.
Bowman takes the ride on Spieth first up replacing Brad Rawiller who rode the four year old when a nose second to Malaguerra in the Group 1 $1m Darley Classic (1200m) at Flemington on the last day of the 2016 four day Melbourne Cup Carnival.
