Black Caviar continues unbeaten streak

The world’s best sprinter in Black Caviar set an Australian record and in the process made it 19 straight wins following taking out the $750,000 Group One Coolmore Lightning Stakes (1000m) at Flemington on Saturday.

Black Caviar who was backing up from a 1400m race a week before finished ahead of her biggest challenge in Hay List ($8.80) with Buffering ($51.10) rounding off the placing’s.

Just seven days after her last race Black Caviar ($1.10), the pre-race favourite broke Ajax Australian record of 18 straight victories and took her career prize money past the $5 million mark with her victory at the picturesque Flemington Racecourse on Saturday.

The Peter Moody trained and Luke Nolan ridden mare was once again up against her old foe in Western Australian champion Hay List ($8.80) and pulled away to in the end to claim her ninth Group One victory.

It wasn’t that easy for the five-year-old though as Hay List, who many consider as the second best sprinter in the world went stride for stride with Black Caviar until the mare pulled away in the final 300m to win by just under two lengths.

Trainer Peter Moody all but ruled her out of next week’s Group One Futurity Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield next weekend and said he didn’t know when her next race will be.

“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 told reporters after the race.

“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 race may go down as one of her best wins considering she was not backing up from a race last week but a 400m drop in distance, a drop which has brought many horses unstuck over the years.

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,” Moody continued.

“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.”