News

Caviar appetiser

17th Aug 2009

Herald Sun - Adam Hamilton - Tuesday, 18 August 2009

PETER Moody's brilliant filly Black Caviar resumes at Moonee Valley on Saturday as the trainer prepares to split his outstanding team of three-year-olds between Melbourne and Sydney for the spring.

Unbeaten Black Caviar (pictured as yearling) will run in Saturday's $101,000 Arrow Training Services Plate (1200m).

But Moody will send Golden Slipper runner-up Headway to Sydney for her next start.

Headway, who ran an eye-catching second to Corsaire in the Quezette Stakes (1100m) at Caulfield on Saturday, will run in either Saturday week's $1 million Group 1 Golden Rose (1400m) at Rosehill, or be kept for the Group 2 Furious Stakes (1400m) at Randwick a week later.

"Headway's come through last Saturday's run really well," Moody's racing manager Jeff O'Connor said.

O'Connor added Black Caviar would be the stable's only runner from three entries in the Arrow Training Services Plate.

Black Caviar looked fantastic winning her first start by five lengths at Flemington on April 18, then looked even better two weeks later when she graduated to stakes class for a six-length win in the Blue Sapphire Stakes at Caulfield.

Moody's other talented three-year-olds include stable additions Tickets and Wanted, who have both transferred from Sydney stables.

"Tickets will go to the McNeil Stakes at Caulfield on Saturday week and Wanted will either go there as well or be saved for Flemington the week after," O'Connor said.

Tickets finished second in the AJC Sires' Produce in the autumn. He also was runner-up in the Champagne Stakes at Randwick on April 25 before being spelled.

Wanted's last run was 10th in the Golden Slipper on April 4.

O'Connor said plans were yet to be finalised for Moody's Blue Diamond winner Reward For Effort, who has not started since finishing seventh in the Slipper.

Lee Freedman's exciting filly Essaouira won't be among Black Caviar's rivals at Moonee Valley.

"She's had a little setback with a cold, so it could be Flemington (September 5) before she's back at the races," said Freedman, who will start sprinter Wilander and three-year-old filly Maka Ena at the Valley.

Wilander will run over 1000m, but Freedman said he hoped the entire could be stretched to 1200m this campaign. "If he can cope with 1200m, it will open up a lot more doors," he said