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Roll up, roll up for Black Caviar
While Peter Moody, at this stage, is reluctant to take Black Caviar to the world, today “the world” was happy to come to the mare promoted as the “world’s fastest horse”.
To get most of the promotion of the headline act in the headline race of Saturday’s big Flemington meeting out of the way well in advance of the Group 1 Lightning Stakes (1000m), the affable Moody had Melbourne’s media and international recruiters (as “the world’s” representatives) around to his Caulfield stable to see Black Caviar, or Nelly as she is known in-house.
Stablehand Tom Barbary brought her out of her box to pose for the cameras – and to unanimous appreciation of the media posse impressed by her coat, her size and her demeanour – for five brief minutes outside the gates signed “Survivors prosecuted”.
The unbeaten Black Caviar (br m 4, Bel Esprit-Helsinge, by Desert Sun (GB)) took it all in her stride, posing with Barbary and Moody, both promoting Moody Racing by wearing its blue-and-white polo shirts and caps, before Barbary took her back to her secluded box, numbered ‘1’ of course.
Royal Ascot scout Nick Smith took the chance to say how wanted Black Caviar would be in England. He described his task of getting her there for June’s Group 1 sprints as a tough mission, but he would try to twist Moody’s arm and added that April onwards would see him make more annoying phone calls to the trainer.
By that time, after her autumn campaign, Black Caviar should be better known – at this stage, Smith said that for those overseas, she was all about promise, although Saturday could send warning signs abroad.
Mark Player (representing Hong Kong, but now based back in Melbourne) was heartened by hearing Moody mention Hong Kong as a possibility for the mare after she’d completed her home program – tentatively the Lightning, the Newmarket Handicap (depending on how others were weighted in comparison to her roughly 58 kilograms), the William Reid, the TJ Smith in Sydney and, in Brisbane, the BTC Cup and the Doomben 10,000, all Group 1s.
And Victoria’s recruiter Leigh Jordon mentioned again that as well as quarantine and prizemoney issues, the two words deterring potential international sprint challengers in Melbourne were, simply, Black Caviar.
The media get-together also allowed a spruik for the Global Sprint Challenge that incorporates the Lightning (referred to by Jordon as the launching pad for the series) and races in Japan, Singapore, England and Hong Kong.
But it was the mare and her liking – or otherwise – of a wet track, and the trainer’s assessment of opposition on Saturday (ie, Hay List), that interested most.
Moody said Black Caviar’s return to racing was exciting and daunting, and reminded people that she had won only one Group 1 race … but her jockeys had told him there was more in the tank (ie, she had not been fully extended despite her eight wins from eight starts), and he would be happy not to have to find out how much more!
He said her preparation had been faultless but the Flemington surface would not be ideal wet first-up, although that gave him “trainer’s insurance” if she were beaten. She has trialled and done track work in the wet, but had never raced on worse than a Dead 4. Flemington course manager Mick Goodie said he is gearing up a track rated Slow 6 or worse.
Of course, he respected Hay List, who with blinkers would be wound up – obviously he meant more wound up than Black Caviar – and being in better shape could offer the opposition he had not given in the supposed spring match race, the Group 1 Patinack Farm Classic (1200m) at Flemington, when he had been hurt in the lead-up.
Oh, and he tossed in an alternative, a handicap, the Group 1 Oakleigh Plate (1100m) at Caulfield on February 26 if “cyclonic” circumstances forced Black Caviar to miss the Lightning.
thethoroughbred.com.au was among a small post-media conference group who were lucky enough to go through the ‘Survivors prosecuted’ gate with the trainer and a photographer who needed an extra, different shot of Black Caviar.
She was safely tucked up in Box 1, but came to the door when Moody called and obliged with a photo, a reporter’s five-year-old son perched on the half-door alongside her.
Black Caviar quickly lost interest and disappeared into the shadows, loudly kicking the wall. “She’s just about peopled out,” the trainer said.
Until Saturday, anyway, when she’ll be the people’s favourite … and odds-on to make it nine from nine.
This is the best sprinter in the world. She is a freak.
Yes, probably the best in the world. She’s unbeatable on her home patch. Don’t like the term “freak”, makes her like a circus act. She’s simply a wonderful sprinter of the highest degree.