Black Caviar is in good shape, albeit a little bit heavier than her optimum weight, for her attempt at her 20th consecutive metropolitan victory in Saturday’s Group One Sportingbet Classic at Morphettville.
Trainer Peter Moody said the world’s highest-rated sprinter had come through her overnight float trip to Adelaide without any hitches.
“She’s in good shape, she did a little bit of work here on the course proper at Caulfield on Tuesday morning and arrived there safely this morning and had a trot off the pony and it’s all systems go,” Moody said.
It’s been 10 weeks since Black Caviar racked up her 19th straight win in the Lightning Stakes (1000m) at Flemington, equalling the record which had been held jointly by Desert Gold and Gloaming.
Moody said he was mindful not to let her put on too much weight with her trip to the UK for the Diamond Jubilee Stakes (1200m) at Royal Ascot on June 23 pending.
“We didn’t let her out of work at all. We kept her ticking over the whole time, we kept her ticking over at Peter Clark’s at Murchison,” Moody told Radio Sport National.
“We didn’t want her to get big and heavy like she did off the back of the spring when she put on a phenomenal amount of weight.
“She’s a bit above her peak racing weight but you’d expect her to be ahead of a couple of runs here before she heads overseas.”
However the leading trainer said Black Caviar would not be lacking in fitness on Saturday.
“She’s got nice improvement in her. I don’t take so much of a guide on her weight but how she is in the wind and how she pulls up and how much of a blow she has post-work.
“For a big filly she surprisingly doesn’t blow up and pull up big and really heave after a race, she’s a pretty good athlete.
“But post her trial here she had a nice little puff and it suggested to me there’s nice improvement to come and I would suggest the same again tomorrow.
“And we’ll head into The Goodwood pretty much close to the top of our game and then we’ve got three weeks to taper her before the trip to England.”
Black Caviar’s short quote didn’t stop one punter from unloading on the champion mare.
The punter had $100,000 at $1.04 with TAB Sportsbet for a profit of $4,000 if she wins.
On Thursday, TAB Sportsbet took $50,000 on a double at $1.05 on Black Caviar into an AFL game – North Melbourne to beat Gold Coast Suns – for a win of $2500.
