Black Caviar continues to dominate betting markets as one of the shortest-priced favourites ever in a feature race.
TAB Sportsbet reported that 90 per cent of its bets on Saturday’s weight-for-age Group Two Schillaci Stakes (1000m) at Caulfield had been written for the unbeaten mare at $1.06.
“We opened her at $1.06 and basically just left her there,” TAB Sportsbet’s book manager Michael Guthrie said.
“We have got $40,000 worth of bets on the race and $36,000 is on her.”
He said the lack of a big-name horse against Black Caviar on Saturday was compressing her quote.
“If you had a Hay List in the race you would probably be getting $1.16 or $1.17,” Guthrie said.
Late on Friday TAB Sportsbet was planning to frame a second market without Black Caviar to try to generate interest in the race.
Guthrie said punters would be struggling to find better odds than $1.06 for the Peter Moody-trained champion although Sportingbet Australia reported an avalanche of money when it eased her out to $1.10 on Friday.
Sportingbet chief Michael Sullivan said he was happy to lay Black Caviar again on Saturday after losing a fortune on her during her unbeaten run of 13 wins.
“We moved her out to $1.10 and instantly took a bet of $100,000 plus two more bets of $25,000,” Sullivan said.
“We have dusted millions on her already so there is no point stopping now and not taking her on in the Schillaci.”
He suggested Black Caviar may be a risk at 1000 metres which is not her pet distance.
“Although the field doesn’t have a tremendous amount of depth, if she is going to be vulnerable, this is probably the day,” Sullivan said.
“If you put your foot on her the day she got beaten, you would never forgive yourself as a bookie so we will be setting top odds her right up until jump time to make sure we get our whack out of her.”
Sullivan said there had been no support for any other runner with Karuta Queen on the second line of betting at $11.
Guthrie said it was unlikely bookies on track would offer better than $1.08 for Black Caviar.
He said Karuta Queen was the only other runner in the eight-horse field with any level of support outside of Black Caviar.
“She’s the only one we have really laid for more than $1000,” Guthrie said.
Karuta Queen is TAB Sportsbet’s second favourite at $13 ahead of Black Caviar’s stablemate Kulgrinda ($17), Stirling Grove ($21) and Ra Ikane ($61).
Others are Platinum Skye ($101), Morgan Dollar ($101) and Tasos ($151).
AAP TURF
