News

Black Opal Day To Be Massive In Canberra

20th Jan 2012

Racing And Sport - James Buckley - Friday, 20 January 2012

The Canberra Racing Club is hopeful of cashing in on another strong two-year-old season by attracting a crack field to the $250,000 Black Opal Stakes (1200m) in March.

With less than two months until the capital's flagship race, chief executive Peter Stubbs was still unsure which of Australia's juveniles would be making the trip to Thoroughbred Park but was confident of entertaining a strong field.

In previous years the Canberra feature would directly compete with the Skyline Stakes (1200m) for colts and geldings, and the Sweet Embrace Stakes (1200m) for fillies, both of which were traditionally staged in Sydney the day before the Black Opal.

Those two races will this year run one week later, leaving just the $100,000 Lonhro Plate (1100m) on the same weekend as the Opal.

Stubbs is heading to Sydney early next week to man a Canberra Racing Club marquee at the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale in a bid to promote Black Opal Day, which for the first time will feature four listed races.

Last year the club made a sweeping change to their racing calendar moving the $200,000 Canberra Cup (2000m), traditionally held during the spring, onto the Black Opal race card.

The National Sprint (1400m) and the Canberra Guineas (1400m), both worth $100,000, will also run on the same day.

“Whether that works or not remains to be seen but the concept was if a trainer's got a stayer and a [Golden] Slipper horse than you might be inclined to bring two or three for those feature races, rather than just come down for the Black Opal,” Stubbs said.

“The thing that we always contend with is that any Sydney trainer that's got a two-year-old in the top half a dozen horses, they want to start in Sydney in the Todman or the Reisling or those sorts of races and then go straight into the Slipper.

“We're more inclined, naturally because it's a listed race so it's a lower level, to get horses below that level and horses that are trying to get prizemoney to get into the Slipper.

“There's always a good horse [in the Opal] so it's just a matter of what you pick up.”

Last year the attraction was Queanbeyan-trained star Karuta Queen, whose presence drove away the competition and left the race with just nine starters.

In a massive boilover, the previously unbeaten chestnut filly was upstaged by Gratz Vella gelding You're Canny (pictured).

Karuta Queen went on to run 10th in the Slipper, but bounced back superbly in the spring claiming the Heritage Stakes (1100m) and the Australia Stakes (1200m).

In 2010 the Opal was taken out by Clarry Conners flyer Decision Time, who went on to run a narrow second behind Crystal Lily in the Golden Slipper.