The Great Man (and others) on The Great One

Although the potentially ATG sprinter Black Caviar is rarely sighted between races, doing most of her work in the dark at Caulfield, elsewhere there is a clamour to climb on her bandwagon.

Just after the sun came up at Flemington this morning, legendary trainer Bart Cummings, there to watch his stayer Precedence prepare for Saturday’s Group 1 Australian Cup (2000m), obliged the media by buying into the “how good is she?” debate on the Peter Moody-trained Black Caviar, long odds-on favourite for the other million-dollar race on Saturday, the Group 1 Newmarket Handicap (1200m).

Cummings, winner of eight Newmarkets, including the 1978 running with Maybe Mahal, doesn’t have an entrant this year. “If you did have a runner you’d be hard put to beat her,” he said of Black Caviar. “She’s very good.

“Maybe Mahal was very good, I think it won six or seven Group 1s … I’ve had a lot of good ones, this one (Black Caviar) I think is equal to the best we’ve had.”

Flemington trainer Danny O’Brien, whose Shamrocker won last Saturday’s Group 1, the Australian Guineas (1600m), will take on the unbeaten Black Caviar this Saturday with his star sprinting colt Star Witness, despite originally planning to dodge her.

Star Witness (ch c 3,  Starcraft (NZ)-Leone Chiara, by Lion Hunter), a dual Group 1 winner – as is Black Caviar (b m 4, Bel Esprit-Helsinge, by Desert Sun (GB)) – was the star worker at Flemington, his straight-track workout reminding watchers of a jump-out five days before he won the G1 Coolmore Stakes, also 1200m, in the spring.

Today, Star Witness worked with stablemate Keano from the 1200 metres on the outside of the straight. He whooshed past Keano inside the 300 metres.

He was timed to run 47.6 seconds for the last 800, with the final 400 in a low-flying 21.71 – in the spring he impressively tracked Hay List, whose boom then just about matched Black Caviar, with the winner’s last 800 timed at 45.15 and 400 at 21.5. Star Witness was ridden by Dwayne Dunn, but Ben Melham will have the ride on Saturday.

Star Witness thrashed his age group in the Coolmore and then beat the rest home when thrashed by Black Caviar in the Patinack Farm Classic (wfa, 1200m) seven days later.

O’Brien said Star Witness really enjoyed the straight. “He stretched out beautifully his last two furlongs and looked to have plenty left on the line.

“He’ll have no excuses on Saturday; he’ll turn up as good as we can prepare him. Obviously he’ll have to be (at his best) with the enormity of the challenge he’s got.

I think she’s as good a mare as I’ve ever seen … she doesn’t seem to have any weaknesses.

“This is a very, very good colt, particularly straight course sprinting. The handicapper has given us a chance (Black Caviar has 58kg, Star Witness 53kg), but we’re certainly not going in there full of confidence that we can beat her.

“Look, I would back him to have won any of the past 10 Newmarkets, but he’s going into one that’s got a freak in it.”

Paul Snowden, who runs trainer Peter Snowden’s Melbourne stable, has Beaded (br m 5, Lonhro-Subtle, by Night Shift (USA)) in the Newmarket. With Mark Zahra up, she shaded Obsequious (Kerrin McEvoy) in a straight 1000-metre gallop in 1:07.1, the final 400 in 22.5. McEvoy will ride Beaded in the Newmarket.

Snowden said Beaded was in terrific order, but she had to take on The Great One on Saturday.

Could she beat her? “I’d say no … we’ll be fighting out for second for third.”

Hay List (b or br g 5, Statue Of Liberty (USA)-Sing Hallelujah, by Is It True (USA)), thrashed by Black Caviar in the Patinack (when he went into the race with niggling injuries) and in the G1 Lightning Stakes (1000m) last month, is in that minor fight, too.

Apparently everyone is conceding the major prize, as TAB Sportsbet’s all-in market for the Newmarket emphasises:

$1.25 Black Caviar

$12 Hay List

$18 Star Witness

$21 Response

$26 Beaded, Hinchinbrook, Eagle Falls

The field and barrier draw will be announced tomorrow.

1. 

   Dave says:

   March 8, 2011 at 2:46 am

   Looking forward to a market with Black Caviar taken out. I think that’d be pretty popular amongst punters.