Warwick Farm trainer Marc Conners is happy for his speedy mare to take on the might of Redzel down the Flemington straight in the Group 1 $750,000 Black Caviar Lightning (1000m) on Saturday.
The speedy Super Too, above, is among the nominations for the 2018 Black Caviar Lightning at Flemington. Photo by Ultimate Racing Photos.
Super Too is the winner of five races at 1000m and less and Conners said that the 1000m dash this weekend was a good chance for the Hinchinbrook mare to step up to Group 1 company over a suitable distance.
“I know we are taking on the big boys and it’s the best of the best sprinters, but I just think it’s definitely the type of race where we can have a throw at the stumps,” Conners told AAP.
“She’s a horse that runs very fast and this is probably her pet distance. I’d rather take them on at our distance.
“She’s a mare and if she can win or run a place in a Group One then it enhances her value.”
Among the nominations for the Black Caviar Lightning is last year’s winner Terravista and the number one sprinter in the country Redzel, who claimed the sprinting crown with wins during the 2017 Spring Carnival in the $10m The Everest (1200m) at Randwick and in the Group 1 $1m Darley Classic (1200m) at Flemington.
“At the moment Redzel’s the best sprinter in Australia,” Conners said.
“So I think he’s definitely the one we’ve got to be beating, that’s for sure.”
Also entered are the Group 1 winners from the Lindsay Park Stable, Blue Diamond Stakes winner Catchy, Newmarket Handicap winner Redkirk Warrior and Oakleigh Plate winner Sheidel.
Super Too performed well at Group 2 level over 1000m in the $200,000 Harrolds Caulfield Sprint at Caulfield during the 2017 Melbourne Spring Carnival before going for a break and gave Conners confident that she would handle the next step up in grade.
“Since that day I always had in the back of my mind to target this race first-up,” Conners said.
“The form around her has been pretty good. In that Caulfield Sprint she actually broke the race record even though she ran second, so there’s things saying she’s capable of doing it,” he said.
“I know we need things to go our way but she’s there to try and win the race if we can.”
Conners has tuned up Super Too for her return to racing in the Autumn with two recent barrier trial wins at Warwick Farm with Saturday’s jockey Stephen Baster riding the four year old mare in her latest hit out on February 1.
Early betting for the Black Caviar Lightning at Ladbrokes.com.au has Super Too as one of the outsiders of the field at $21 with Redzel heading up the market order at $1.75.
Early betting at Ladbrokes.com.au for the 2018 Black Caviar Lightning: $1.75 Redzel, $8 Hey Doc, Redkirk Warrior, $9 Terravista, $13 Ball Of Muscle, $15 Supido, $17 Catchy, Limestone, Missrock, $21 Super Too, Formality, $26 Rock Magic, $34 Sheidel.
