Perth racing officials are sweating on the arrival of unbeaten mare Black Caviar for the Winterbottom Stakes in two weeks after she demolished another Group One field in effortless fashion at Flemington.
The champion sprinter seemingly cantered up the straight course as she raced away to her 16th win in the Group One $1 million Patinack Farm Classic (1200m) by 2-3/4 lengths from Buffering and her stablemate Mid Summer Music.
Black Caviar officially started at $1.04 but one Sportingbet Australia punter had a $1 million on her at $1.06.
“Black Caviar is a horrible result for us whenever she runs around but you’d feel sick as a bookmaker if she got beaten and you got nothing out of her,” Sportingbet Australia chief Michael Sullivan said.
Racing Victoria chief handicapper Greg Carpenter said the Black Caviar legend was getting bigger with every win, describing Saturday’s win as possibly her easiest yet.
“Her rating is established at 130 and she has just kept on winning by big spaces,” Carpenter said.
“She does it so effortlessly and she runs time.”
Her winning time was just 1.16 seconds outside the track record after she cantered through the first 200 metres in 14.11s before reeling off four sub-11 second sectionals including 10.44s between the 600m and 400m.
She was eased down the last 200 metres in 11.69s.
Trainer Peter Moody was thrilled for himself and the connections as well as the crowd which erupted as Black Caviar approached the grandstands rolling along in front.
“It’s just great that she has been able to put on the show for the big crowd that has come out and witnessed her today,” Moody said.
“She’s a got the job done for us again and it’s a great relief to see her do it again.
“They are all Group horses behind her but once again she’s toyed with them.”
Moody said he and the owners would decide on Monday whether Black Caviar would have her campaign finale in the Group One $1 million Winterbottom Stakes (1200m) at Ascot on November 19.
Moody said she was booked fly to Perth on Tuesday night, all being well.
“She will tell us in the next 48 hours and then we will make a decision whether she travels to Perth or goes for a break,” he said.
“I would love to go (to Perth) but we have got to make sure the horse is right first.
“It has been a hot day here today, the track is pretty firm, so we want to make sure she has pulled up good.”
Jockey Luke Nolen described Black Caviar’s latest victory as “pretty effortless”.
“She was in control of the race a long way out,” Nolen said.
“It is a humbling experience (to ride her).
“I am probably not getting a great grasp of it all while the show is still rolling, but I know I am going to miss her like hell the day she retires.”
Buffering’s trainer Rob Heathcote, like everyone else at Flemington, was in awe of Black Caviar as she raced to her seventh Group One win and took her earnings to $4,380,050.
“I feel like I’ve won,” Heathcote said.
“At the end of the day the plan was to come here and run second to Black Caviar.”
Buffering earned the biggest pay cheque of his career, with his $180,000 second prize taking his career stakes to more than $1 million.
AAP TURF
