The Black Caviar camp has deflected talk of the mare’s retirement as she prepares to return home following her narrow win at Royal Ascot.
Amid an air of shock that she only won the Diamond Jubilee Stakes by a bare margin with jockey Luke Nolen shouldering the blame, talk she had run her last race was rife.
The July Cup at Newmarket has certainly been ruled out with the unbeaten mare to return to Australia as soon as possible.
Trainer Peter Moody’s earlier declaration she only had to win her 22nd race by a quarter of an inch to satisfy him came agonisingly close to the mark.
Nolen, who appeared to stop riding near the line, said he had misjudged the testing, undulating and rain-affected course at Ascot as French filly Moonlight Cloud almost got to Black Caviar.
Immediately after the race, Twitter erupted with suggestions the mare looked sore and while most watching agreed it was far from her best run, she was given the all-clear by vets.
Moody flagged retirement but put no more emphasis on the end of her career than he had in the past.
“It may be that she has graced a racetrack for the last time,” Moody said.
“But we’ve said before her last five or six runs that any one of them could be her last.”
Managing owner Neil Werrett said any decisions on Black Caviar’s racing future would be made by Moody.
“She will go into quarantine tomorrow and won’t go to the July Cup,” Werrett told Sydney’s Sky Sports Radio.
“We’ll get her home as quickly as possible and give her a break.
“All going well she’ll come back for a good spring campaign.
“But things can change and it’s up to Peter.
“He will known whether she’s come up or not in about three months time.”
Werrett said Nolen had probably eased up on the mare too soon with the prospect of the July Cup in mind.
“Peter probably told Luke to preserve her as much as possible for the July Cup,” he said.
“Luke admits it. Everyone knows it. He probably dropped the reins 75 metres too early.
“But he got us across the line and she is still the best sprinter in the world.”
