Breeding & Racing Magazine

Caviar Skips Futurity & Dubai To Target Royal Ascot

Trainer Peter Moody confirmed last night that unbeaten star Black Caviar "has been sent to the paddock" following last Saturday's win over Hay List in the Gr1 Lightning Stakes at Flemington & "won't be chasing her record 20th consecutive win in Saturday's Gr1 Futurity Stakes at Caulfield" reported The Herald-Sun. Moody said Black Caviar will not race again "for the next 2 months" & therefore will also miss both next month's Gr1 Newmarket Handicap in Melbourne & the Dubai World Cup meeting. Moody explained: "I have put 'Nelly' in the paddock - at a destination that I'm not disclosing as the mare deserves some peace & quiet - for the next couple of weeks. There's nothing wrong with her. To the contrary, she's at the top of her game. But it's all geared around having her at her peak when she flies across to England for the Gr1 Diamond Jubilee Stakes. That's the Royal Ascot race the owners have had their sights on for some time & everything is being tailored like a Savile Row suit to have her cherry ripe for that race on June 23." Moody added: "I've got no doubt that Black Caviar could have gone to the Futurity on Saturday & just won as easily as she did in the Gr1 Orr Stakes earlier in the month, but it would have been her 4th run in 5 weeks. I had to look at the bigger picture. What would I have had left? She's pulled up 110% from her run in the Lightning Stakes & I wanted to keep it that way. If she heads to the paddock in that condition it's only going to enhance her prospects for her next campaign." Moody summed up: "Black Caviar will spend a couple of weeks of R&R, just enjoying herself roaming around a paddock before heading to Peter Clarke's water walker complex up at Murchison, then head back to the Caulfield stables."