Victoria’s premier trainer Peter Moody has reported that his mighty mare Black Caviar has arrived in Adelaide safe and sound and all systems are go for her attempt at the Australasian record of twenty consecutive wins.
Black Caviar has arrived safely in Adelaide - photo (c) Steven Dowden
The world’s best sprinter is at unbackable odds of $1.04 in the Group 1 $400,000 Sportingbet Classic (1200m) at Morphettville tomorrow and Moody said that she has come through her overnight float trip from Caulfield in fine order.
“She’s in good shape, she did a little bit of work here on the course proper at Caulfield on Tuesday morning and arrived there safely this morning and had a trot off the pony and it’s all systems go,” Moody said.
The unbeaten champ will benefit greatly from tomorrow’s run and Moody said that she will be near one hundred per cent fit when she returns to Morphettville in two weeks for the Group 1 $500,000 The Distinctive Homes Goodwood (1200m).
Black Caviar hasn’t raced for ten weeks since winning the first leg of the Global Sprint Challenge with an effortless victory in the Group 1 $750,000 Coolmore Lightning Stakes (1000m) at Flemington on February 18.
Moody sent her out for a break after the Lightning but kept her in light training so as not to let her gain too much weight and is adamant she will be fit enough to run out a strong 1200m at this stage of her preparation.
“We didn’t let her out of work at all. We kept her ticking over the whole time, we kept her ticking over at Peter Clark’s at Murchison,” Moody said.
“We didn’t want her to get big and heavy like she did off the back of the spring when she put on a phenomenal amount of weight.”
“She’s a bit above her peak racing weight but you’d expect her to be ahead of a couple of runs here before she heads overseas.”
With the two Adelaide runs under belt Moody is confident that Black Caviar will depart for England in prime condition for her main mission at Royal Ascot in the Group 1 £500,000 The Diamond Jubilee Stakes (1200m) on June 23.
“She’s got nice improvement in her. I don’t take so much of a guide on her weight but how she is in the wind and how she pulls up and how much of a blow she has post-work,” he said.
“For a big filly she surprisingly doesn’t blow up and pull up big and really heave after a race, she’s a pretty good athlete.”
“But post her trial here she had a nice little puff and it suggested to me there’s nice improvement to come and I would suggest the same again tomorrow.”
“And we’ll head into The Goodwood pretty much close to the top of our game and then we’ve got three weeks to taper her before the trip to England.”
Morphettville was rated a dead 5 this afternoon and with only a possible shower forecast for Adelaide tomorrow, the 30,000 spectators expected to turn up to witness Black Caviar create her new record will be in for a fantastic day.
