News

Japan trip possible for Black Caviar

3rd Jun 2011

Racing And Sports - Rob Burnet - Friday, 3 June 2011

Caulfield trainer Peter Moody has commenced the mind games already for the 2011 spring with comments that Black Caviar, currently the joint highest rated horse in the world with the English trained Frankel, might race in Japan instead of during the Victorian Sprint Racing carnival.

Moody was reported in Friday's Melbourne Sun-Herald as asking the connections of the sprinting queen for their preferred race programme for her spring campaign.

Despite Moody showing not showing no inclination to travel with Black Caviar to England and Royal Ascot this year the approx A$2.3m, Grade 1 Sprinters Stakes (1200m) held at Nakayama on October 2nd is a major international trip proposed for her campaign.

The race was won by Takeover Target in 2006 and the Hong Kong based Australian-bred Ultra Fantasy (Encosta de Lago) in 2010, however, travelling from Australia presents significant quarantine periods and would ensure that Black Caviar would not return to Australia before the end of spring racing.

Should the sprinter go to the Sprinters Stakes, the seventh leg of the Global Sprint Challenge, it would be likely that she would travel directly to Hong Kong for the Group 1 Cathay Pacific International Sprint (1200m) on December 11th.

Nominations close for the Sprinters Stakes on August 16th with declarations on September 29th.

Horses would be expected to arrive in Japan between September 15th and 22nd.

If the trip went ahead then it would be likely that Black Caviar would run once in Melbourne in the McEwen Stakes (1000m0 at Moonee Valley on September 10th.

“We are keeping all our options open and the owners have indicated to me they'd like serious thought to be given to the Japan and Hong Kong races, with a long-term priority given to Royal Ascot next year,” Moody said.

Moody said that connections of the mare had been disappointed that the VRC had offered international entrants in the Group 1 Patinack Farm Classic (1200m) at Flemington on November 4th a $600,000 Global Sprint Challenge bonus, with local horses racing for the $1m stake only.

Singapore's Rocket Man , the winner of the Group 1 Golden Shaheen (1200m) at Meydan in March and the Group 1 KrisFyer International Sprint (1200m0 at Kranji on May 22nd, is a possible starter in the Patinack Farm Classic and is therefore eligible for the bonus.

First prize money for the Sprinter Stakes is Y95,000,000, approx A$1.1 million, which would be similar to first place in the Patinack Farm Classic, plus the bonus.

Moody leaves shortly for Ascot to oversee the final preparations of three-year-old Fastnet Rock sprinter Hinchinbrook who arrived in England on Thursday night accompanied by the Danny O'Brien trained Starcraft colt Star Witness.