Black Caviar will go for a record 20th straight win in the Group One Sportingbet Classic at Morphettville on Saturday week, trainer Peter Moody announced on Tuesday.
After watching the world’s highest-rated sprinter cruise to an eight-length win in an 800m jumpout on the course proper at her home track of Caulfield, Moody said Black Caviar would run in the $400,000 Sportingbet Classic (1200m).
She would then go to the Group One $500,000 The Goodwood (1200m), also run at Morphettville two weeks later on May 12, after which she will go to England for the Diamond Jubilee Stakes (1200m) at Royal Ascot on June 23.
Ridden by her race jockey Luke Nolen, Black Caviar jumped on terms with her rivals but was quickly a clear leader in the jumpout which went from the 1200m chute to the home turn where the unbeaten mare had opened up an eight-length buffer.
She was timed to run the 800m in 45.99 seconds, and was easing up to run 12.5s for the last 100m.
“She pulled up well, she had a good blow but she’s coped with it all well,” Moody said.
“She is still big in condition but you’d expect that. She’s still three runs off her goal which is the Diamond Jubilee in mid-June.
“Had she pulled up clean in the wind it would suggest we were ahead of the game and she wouldn’t have required the two runs, there wouldn’t have been any reason to do it.
“But the fact that she’s such a gross-doing mare, if I don’t give her the two runs she’s going to need a fair bit of work and they are Group Ones.”
“Adelaide is the right option … she’s got two short trips on the truck to get there and she’ll come straight home after the first one.
“It gives her a three-week window before she heads overseas.
“It’ll be late May, early June, we just want to keep her here as long as possible.”
A win in the Sportingbet Classic would take Black Caviar one win beyond the Australasian record for consecutive metropolitan wins she currently shares with Gloaming and Desert Gold.
She would also surpass champion US mare Zenyatta who won her first 19 starts before being narrowly beaten by Blame in the 2010 Breeders Cup Classic.
