CHAMPION mare Black Caviar will have seven rivals when she attempts to take her unbeaten run to 23 straight in the Group One Lightning Handicap at Flemington on Saturday. She has opened at $1.05 with sportsbet.com.
In other news of the day, rising staying star Tuscan Fire will be set for the Caulfield Cup after winning the Mornington Cup in great stuyle.
Eight to line up in Lightning
Black Caviar will have seven rivals when she strives for victory in the race named in her honour this Saturday at Flemington.
Peter Moody-trained stablemates Moment of Change and Golden Archer are among those that will oppose the unbeaten mare as she strives for win number 23 in the $500,000 Group 1 Black Caviar Lightning.
It will be the Bel Esprit six-year-old's first start since winning the Group 1 Diamond Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot last June and her first Victorian appearance since her memorable win over Hay List in last year's Lightning.
That was her second success in Australia's only 1000-metre Group 1 event; a third straight win on Saturday would make her the only three-time winner of the event.
Black well in the red
Black Caviar is expected to easily account for a small field at Flemington on Saturday in the race named in her honour.
Peter Moody's champion mare has opened at $1.05 – or 20-1 on in the old – with TAB.
At her most recent start in Australia – The Goodwood at Morphettville – she opened at $1.04.
The biggest dangers appear to be from the same stable; Moment of Change ($12) and Golden Archer ($16) are on the second and third line of betting respectively, while Shamexpress ($16) – a last start winner at Moonee Valley – has been one of the best-backed runners in early betting on the Newmarket Handicap.
Countdown to Caviar continues
As the countdown continues to her first race in Melbourne for a year in the Black Caviar Lightning (1000m) at Flemington on Saturday, Black Caviar stuck to her normal Wednesday routine of some light work at Caulfield, before heading down to Port Phillip Bay for a swim.
A win on Saturday would put her in the driver's seat to take out the G1 Sprinters Championship, which sees a $1 million TAB bonus paid to connections of a horse that can win that race as well as the Sportingbet Oakleigh Plate and Lexus Newmarket Handicap.
However with Black Caviar not competing in the Oakleigh Plate, the bonus appears unlikely to go off in 2013.
In Saturday's Group 1 event, Black Caviar has drawn barrier two in a field of eight.
Flemington prepares for Black Caviar return
Super-mare Black Caviar – the world’s highest rated sprinter – is set to return to racing at Flemington in the event now named in her honour, the Black Caviar Lightning (previously the Lightning Stakes) this Saturday, February 16.
Black Caviar has not raced since her nail-biting triumph at Royal Ascot in June and starts on Saturday in pursuit of victory number 23 in as many starts and her third consecutive Lightning.
While the race day typically attracts around 10,000 racegoers, over 22,000 flocked to Flemington to witness Black Caviar’s 19th straight win in the race last year and such is the significance of the horse, the Victoria Racing Club (VRC) has gone all out to ensure Black Caviar’s fans enjoy an unforgettable day.
Fans are being encouraged to dress in Black Caviar-theme and be in the running to receive the actual saddlecloth, signed by trainer Peter Moody and jockey Luke Nolen.
Boss fires Tuscan into Caulfield Cup
Former jumper Tuscan Fire has reserved his place in the 2013 BMW Caulfield Cup with a strong win in today’s $350,000 Listed Centrebet Mornington Cup (2400m).
In a race full of action early after fellow jumper Titch knuckled leaving the gates and dislodged jockey Linda Meech, Glen Boss said Tuscan Fire gave him a perfect ride throughout.
“He gave me a great ride. He was so relaxed in the run, especially when there was a bit going on with that loose horse,” Boss said. “It was good fun. It’s my first Mornington Cup. This track’s been a nemesis for me, I’d hate to see my strike rate here, it’d be shocking. I cannot ride a winner here so to get this one of out the way for Dan (O’Sullivan) is very good.
“This is all about Dan, he’s turned this horse out in unbelievable condition every time that I’ve ridden him.”
Twilight lands Royale prize
New South Wales filly Twilight Royale landed her connections a rich reward when she cruised home for a dominant victory in today’s $250,000 Inglis Premier (1200m) at Mornington.
Purchased for $45,000 at last year’s Melbourne Inglis Premier Yearling Sale, today’s win took the Bjorn Baker-trained daughter of Testa Rossa’s prize money to more than $350,000.
Sent out the $2.20 favourite in betting, jockey Brenton Avdulla said the strong early tempo played right into his filly’s hands.
“She’s probably just blundered the start at her past two which hasn’t helped her,” Avdulla said.
“Today she left the gates as good as she can and there was a good bit of tempo on early so I just kept her out of trouble and rode her like the best horse in the race. It was a race that looked like it was lacking a bit of depth and I thought that if she brought her best form from Sydney then she’d be winning.”
Gai targets country features
Racing Victoria caught up with Gai Waterhouse during her first ever visit to Mornington Cup Day where she had three runners – two in the Centrebet Mornington Cup – and talked with her about the impressive prize money available at feature country meetings in Victoria, Mornington Cup's ballot exemption to the Caulfield Cup as well as her plans to train a jumper.
Fox aiming for ratings boost
Dany The Fox has not done much wrong since joining the stables of Mick Price in the middle of last year.
Two wins and two second placings from four starts, mark him as a promising middle distance horse and Price thought enough of him to throw in a speculative entry into the third leg of the G1 Middle Distance Championship, the $1 million Darley Australian Cup.
While a run in that race is still a long way off, Price will run Dany The Fox in the tabcom.au Trophy (1400m) at Flemington on Saturday, as a lead in to a step up in class in the listed $203,000 Sportingbet Kilmore Turf Cup (1600m) on Sunday February 24.
Dany The Fox won first up over 1400 metres in a 0-72 race at Sportingbet Park, before running a close second behind Population in open company over 1400 metres at Caulfield last start.
RAD Board fines Smerdon
Trainer Robert Smerdon was today fined $10,000 by the Racing Appeals and Disciplinary (RAD) Board for conduct prejudicial to the image of racing.
The independent three-man panel, led by Deputy Chairman Brian Forrest, found Smerdon guilty of breaching AR175A which states: “Any person bound by these Rules who either within a racecourse or elsewhere in the opinion of the Committee of any Club or the Stewards has been guilty of conduct prejudicial to the image, or interests, or welfare of racing may be penalised.
The charge brought by Racing Victoria stewards relates to Smerdon’s involvement in the Damien Oliver betting case in which the jockey placed a bet on a rival horse in a race in which he was competing.
Oliver’s bet, for which he was outed for 10 months by the RAD Board, was placed on Miss Octopussy to win Race 6 at Moonee Valley on 1 October, 2010. Oliver rode the unplaced Europa Point in the same race.
Smerdon provided Oliver, after trackwork at Caulfield in the weeks following the race, approximately $11,000 in cash on behalf of Mark Hunter, who placed the bet on Oliver’s behalf.
The payment from Smerdon to Oliver was for the settlement of the bet placed by the jockey, with the RAD Board finding that his conduct in doing so was prejudicial to the image, interests or welfare of racing.
RACING VICTORIA NEWS BULLETIN COMPILED BY SHEENA COFFEY.
