Black Caviar lived up to her rating as the world’s greatest sprinter when she beat probably the second best sprinter on the globe, Hay List, in the Group One Lightning Stakes at Flemington.
The unbeaten Black Caviar, sent out $1.10 favourite, landed her 19th win and equalled the record for consecutive metropolitan wins in Australasia held by Gloaming and Desert Gold.
Black Caviar winning the Coolmore Lightning Stakes at Flemington - photo by Race Horse Photos Australia
The victory was the great mare’s ninth Group One success and while she was too good she had to earn it by running 55.53 seconds for the 1000m, a shade outside Special’s course record of 55.50s set in the 1988 Lightning.
She beat Hay List ($12) by 1-3/4 lengths with Queenslander Buffering ($71) two lengths away third.
Three-year-old Foxwedge ($21) was a nose back fourth.
In last year’s Lightning she beat the runner-up Hay List by 3-1/4 lengths.
Trainer Peter Moody virtually ruled out Black Caviar fronting up for the third Saturday in a row in next week’s Group One Futurity Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield and it is unclear at this stage where and when she will go for her 20th win.
“I’d love to see it (go for her 20th win in Australia) but there is some possibility it won’t take place now, but we’ve never let our heart get in the way of where she should be going,” Moody said.
“I would pretty much say that she won’t be there next week. For her to be there next Saturday, she probably had to have it softer today so we will let the dust settle but she needed to have it softer today to butter up three weeks in a row.
“I’ll sit down with the owners but if she goes to Dubai, she has probably run her last race in Australia this prep.
“If she doesn’t go to Dubai we will look at what option leads us into Royal Ascot.
The Lightning could go down as the five-year-old daughter of Bel Esprit’s best win as she had to come back from winning the Group One CF Orr Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield in just a week.
“It’s the first serious task I’ve set her and I feel a bit sorry for her and you (the public) because it’s the first time I’ve ever placed either of you under pressure,” Moody said.
“But she shone through like the top horse that she is.
“Anytime she has been up for a fight and he (Hay List) is the only horse that has made her fight.
“With all due respect, he is a great horse but it’s just unfortunate that he’s run into a freak.
“She was never going to show a turn of foot that she had first-up last year in this race, and we always had that planned that we weren’t going to be too far away.
“We had the best horse in the race and we were going to dominate the race and take it up to them.
“We weren’t going to be dictated to by horses that weren’t as good as her and Luke rode her accordingly.
“She loves the straight. I flagged it in December so it has always been in the back of my mind and I think I have trained her accordingly but obviously she’s had a seven furlong (1400m) race and to come back to the five (furlongs, 1000m) was always going to be an ask.
“She ticked every box all week so we were happy to be here. It certainly wasn’t the most dominant win but it’s probably the closest she’s ever been to a course record.
“She was pushed by a great horse but she’s just a champion.”
AAP TURF
