Nothing has changed at Peter Moody’s Caulfield stable with his super star Black Caviar primed to keep her unbeaten record of twenty-two wins intact when she resumes from a seven months break from the racetrack at Flemington on Saturday.
Black Caviar primed to win third Lightning Stakes. Photo by Race Horse Photos Australia.
Moody has gained confidence over the last couple of weeks that the world’s number one sprinter is back better than ever and ready to win her third Lightning Stakes down the Flemington straight.
Black Caviar will be stepping out for the first time after scoring a dramatic win in the Group 1 £500,000 The Diamond Jubilee Stakes (6 furlongs) at Royal Ascot on June 23 in the race that the Victoria Racing Club named in her honour, the Group 1 $500,000 Black Caviar Lightning (1000m).
‘She’s done super and I’ll be disappointed if she gets beat.” Moody said.
Moody took Black Caviar to Caulfield two weeks ago for an exhibition gallop in between races and the unbeaten Queen of the Turf looked in magnificent order.
‘You saw her at Caulfield,” Moody told the media pack at Caulfield this morning.
”I don’t think she has presented any better than that for a long time.”
“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 topped off her Lightning preparation with a solid workout over 800m on the course proper at Caulfield this morning and pulled up in superb order.
Moody will also saddle up his smart sprinter Golden Archer and Group 1 winner Moment Of Change but is not expecting either of them to cause a major upset.
”I’m not kidding myself thinking they can trouble their stablemate but I expect them to run very well and be competitive,” Moody said.
Moody feels that the Lightning is the right race for Golden Archer who hasn’t raced since running second to General Truce in the Listed $150,00050 Years Of Fashions On The Fields Stakes (1000m) at Flemington on November 8.
‘He is a high quality sprinting horse and his form is very good for a race like this minus his stablemate,” Moody said.
”He’s a stakes-winning entire and we are looking to build on that.”
”He’s got to take on Black Caviar but unfortunately you can’t pick choose and dodge as it a nice race for him.”
Linda Meech has been given the nod to renew her association with Moment Of Change after riding the four year old in a lot of his early races including three wins.
Moody had originally planned to start Moment Of Change in the Group 1 $1m Lexus Newmarket Handicap (1200m) at Flemington on March 9 first up but thought a run down the Flemington straight under race conditions will be very valuable when he returns in three weeks time.
“It was not my initial intention to run as I was planning to trial again before the Newmarket,” Moody said.
”I had forgotten that he had never been to Flemington in his career.”
”Rather than trial on inferior ground for no prizemoney, he can get some exposure to the straight and then have a nice three week break to the Newmarket.”
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.
