Australian Horse of the Year Black Caviar is destined to start the shortest price of her career when she chases her 14th consecutive win in a depleted Group Two Schillaci Stakes at Caulfield.
TAB Sportsbet expects punters will generally avoid the race after only seven horses were nominated on Monday against the unbeaten champion sprinter who will be long odds-on to equal Phar Lap’s winning streak when she resumes in Saturday’s 1000m feature.
Entries have been extended until Tuesday morning.
The Peter Moody-trained five-year-old was $1.09 when she won the Group One William Reid Stakes at Moonee Valley three starts ago in March and $1.14 at her last two runs in the Group One T J Smith in Sydney and the BTC Cup in Brisbane.
She was $1.18 in the Group One Newmarket Handicap (1200m) in March.
Book manager David Macknamara said TAB Sportsbet had the option of betting with the favourite out to try to generate interest but a decision was yet to be made.
“Judging by that field $1.10 might be value,” Macknamara said. “She has been $1.15 and $1.20 against better fields than that.
“She’s interesting from a racing perspective but from a punting perspective she’s got the market so cornered everyone just tends to watch her and not really try to make a quid out of it.
“She will be coupled up in multi-bets with people looking for an extra 10 or 15 per cent on whatever they like in other races but by the sound of those entries it will be no more than a barrier trial for her really.”
Black Caviar has a lofty 128 rating which is a massive 34 higher than the next highest Schillaci contender, last start Listed Heritage Stakes winner Karuta Queen (94).
Eights Bills (92) has won six of 13 starts and was stakes-placed in May, Platinum Skye (91) was a last fifth in the Sheraco Stakes at Rosehill while Morgan Dollar (89) was stakes-placed at Moonee Valley two starts ago and Galbraith (88) was fourth over 955 metres at Moonee Valley last Friday night.
Others are Centexpress (78) who is a whopping 50 rating points below Black Caviar and last start Newcastle winner Tasos who is the lowest rated on 72.
Moody’s racing manager Jeff O’Connor said the quality of the Schillaci field was “a bit embarrassing” without a big name opponent for Black Caviar but the scene was set for similar fields in the next month as horses try to avoid her and impressive last start Manikato Stakes winner Sepoy.
“Obviously they are handy horses up against her on Saturday but is a shame they can’t get a name horse there to give her bit more competition,” O’Connor said.
Sepoy will run in the Group Two weight-for-age Caulfield Sprint (1100m) on Caulfield Cup Day and Black Caviar will run in the Group Two weight-for-age Schweppes Stakes (1200m) at Moonee Valley on Cox Plate Day and in the Group One Patinack Farm Classic (1200m) two weeks later at Flemington on November 5.
Sepoy’s major goal is the Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m) for three-year-olds at Flemington on October 29 which leaves the Group Two Salinger Stakes on that day as a primary target for other sprinters.
AAP TURF
