News

Black Caviar will miss spring carnival

1st Aug 2012

Herald Sun - Michael Marley - Tuesday, 31 July 2012

BLACK Caviar will not take part in this year's spring racing carnival.

In a major blow to the carnival, trainer Peter Moody decided to rest the world's best sprinter.

Moody told the Herald Sun he would delay a decision on whether Black Caviar would race again until after September's Australian Horse of the Year awards in Melbourne.

"All the owners will be in town then and we can sit down and have a good discussion about what to do with her," he said.

"We have two options. If we retire her after that meeting she's still got plenty of time to go to stud. Otherwise we will give her a decent spell and bring her back for the autumn."

Black Caviar, who turns six tomorrow, took her record to 22 wins from 22 starts by narrowly winning the Diamond Jubilee Stakes (1200m) at Royal Ascot last month.

"She's just needed time to get over her trip to England. She's had a really busy time in the past year or so and just needs a break to get over it," Moody said.

"She's fine in herself and she's recovered from her injuries, but it would be asking a lot of her to have only a couple of weeks off and then be ready for the spring."

Black Caviar, who is spelling after being released from the Werribee quarantine centre, raced at the past two Melbourne spring carnivals.

She won the same three races each time - the Schillaci Stakes at Caulfield, the Moir Stakes at Moonee Valley and the Patinack Classic at Flemington.

Moonee Valley Racing Club hoped to give its rejigged carnival a boost by haveing Black Caviar running on Cox Plate eve in the Manikato Stakes.

She will also miss the Hong Kong International Sprint in December, where she would have been chasing a $1 million bonus.

Black Caviar last raced in Melbourne when she won the Lightning Stakes at Flemington on February 18.

She then won two Group 1 races in Adelaide - the Sangster Stakes and the Goodwood - before winning at Royal Ascot.