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Black Caviar Makes It 21
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The world now awaits Black Caviar after the invincible mare farewelled Australian racing this season with an effortless win in The Goodwood (1,200m) at Morphettville.
Her travelling roadshow returned to Adelaide for the second time in as many weeks and the world's best sprinter failed to disappoint another 30,000 sell-out crowd. The Goodwood run will bring her on again as trainer Peter Moody plans to have Black Caviar in peak fitness before she heads to England in a few weeks.
Her target is the Diamond Jubilee Stakes over the straight 1,200 metres on the final day of the Royal Ascot carnival on June 23.
Moody had a simple message for those in the UK. "You've got an excitement machine coming your way," he said. "Tomorrow there will be the nay-sayers. "But listen, we're happy, I'm happy, as long as she's happy it is all systems go."
Asked if this was the best 21st he had ever been to, a relieved Moody replied: "Yeh I'd say so, mine was pretty good, but."
Such is Black Caviar's star power, the AFL brought forward the start time of the Adelaide-Geelong match to avoid a clash with the $500,000 Goodwood. She backed up her Robert Sangster win of a fortnight ago with another dominant display, this time defeating We're Gonna Rock and Stirling Grove past the post.
Black Caviar, undefeated after 21 starts, was thrown into the race under the set-weight-plus-penalties conditions, giving no more than 2.5 kilograms to her eight rivals.
Moody and jockey Luke Nolen had promised the champ would have derived plenty of benefit from her Sangster win and she did not prove them wrong. "I am happy and grateful that now, when she just turned around and is trotting back towards me, that everything looks good," Moody said, admitting he can never really enjoy the spectacle of his mare sprinting to victory.
"The hairs on the back of my neck stand up like everyone, but it's just good to get another one behind us. It has never been about margins and records."
Moody will not hear of Black Caviar being defeated at Ascot, but also will not run the mare should she not be 100 per cent after the long journey. A week ago, one English scribe made the mistake of suggesting to Moody that Black Caviar had beaten nothing in Australia and must win at Ascot to prove herself. "You have never seen anything like this horse before," Moody retorted.
"It would be an absolute tragedy if she went there and got beaten by your B-grade sprinters for half the prize money and (travelling) three-quarters of the way around the world."
The July Cup at Newmarket a month after the Diamond Jubilee is also an option for Black Caviar. However her trainer is leaning towards bringing her home to prepare for the Manikato Stakes and a third Patinack Classic.
Story courtesy www.abc.net.au
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