BOOM three-year-old Black Caviar has been scratched from Saturday’s Group 1 $500,000 Pulse Pharmacy William Reid Stakes (1200m) at Moonee Valley after succumbing to injury.
But trainer Peter Moody still remains confident of claiming the feature sprint with stablemate Wanted who has finished runner-up in Group 1 company at his past two starts.
Black Caviar has injured her off side suspensory ligament and will miss the remainder of the Melbourne Festival of Racing and possibly this year’s Spring Racing Carnival.“Unfortunately after track work this morning we noticed some heat and swelling on her off front inside suspensory and vets confirmed our worst fears with her sustaining a lesion in that leg,” Moody explained.
“I’ve spoken to the owners and there is no chance she will be retired. We’ll make all endeavours to rectify the problem and if we can have her back for the spring so be it or alternatively we’ll aim to have her back for this carnival next year.”
Despite the crushing news, Moody was quick to find a positive in the setback and remains upbeat about his chances of winning the William Reid Stakes.
“Now she is out of the way we still have a terrific chance with Wanted on Saturday and there probably isn’t a horse anywhere that deserves a Group 1 more than him,” he said.
“He’s trained on really well since the Lightning and he only needs an ounce to luck to turn the tables on Nicconi.”
TAB Fixed Odds reopened betting following the withdrawal of Black Caviar with Wanted at $3.40 and Lightning Stakes winner Nicconi sitting atop the market at $3.10.
Moody said the injury to Black Caviar, who is unbeaten in five starts, was far from the worse he’s encountered, but he’ll take a cautious approach with her recovery given her youth and amazing talent.
“If she was an old gelding you’d ice her up and send her around Saturday, but she is a young horse with plenty of racing ahead of her and she has a terrific chance of making a full recovery with all the modern technology available,” he said.
“With all the machines and various ailments (that are available) and the water walker you look at the positive side of it, but the downside is she always creates injuries for herself by being so brilliant.
“The injury is at the lower end of the scale, it is only a lesion and there is no hole there, so obviously less healing is required but experience does tell me suspensorys can be big things.
“We’ve got a big strong powerful horse and we have to get her to relax so she can properly heal and every four to six weeks we’ll monitor her.”
Black Caviar missed the 2009 Spring Racing Carnival after injuring her back when beginning tardily in the Danehill Stakes (1200m, Group 2) at Flemington in September.
She returned with a crushing win over Here De Angels, who subsequently broke the Caulfield track record, in the Australia Stakes (1200m, Group 2) at Moonee Valley on 22 January.
“I said to the owners on Tuesday I’ve never seen a horse work so quick, she was absolutely brilliant and we couldn’t have been more pleased,” Moody said.
“Unfortunately, when they are as powerful and fast as her they lend themselves to injury.”
A field of eight will now line up in the William Reid Stakes, which is Race 7 at 4.05pm (AEST), with the other runners under double figures being Shellscrape ($5), Light Fantastic ($6) and Sniper’s Bullet ($9).
Saturday’s Group 2 co-features are the $200,000 Top Cut Alister Clark Stakes (1600m) for three-year-olds at 3.25pm and the $200,000 Sportingbet Sunline Stakes (1600m) for the mares at 4.45pm.
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