BLACK CAVIAR HEADS FOR THE PADDOCK

By Graham Potter | Friday, May 20, 2011

Trainer Peter Moody has decided to end the current campaign of Black Caviar with immediate effect. As a consequence the mighty mare will not line up as anticipated in the Doomben 10,000 on May 28 and instead will head for the paddock where she will enjoy a well-earned spell.

There was some degree of shock when the breaking news trickled through yesterday. That was replaced by relief when it was understood that injury was not the reason for her campaign coming to a full stop.

Moody made it quite clear that there was nothing physically amiss with Black Caviar. Rather, she was just looking for a rest.

Moody’s view was that she had just naturally come to the end of her campaign and her owners, as always, backed his judgment and the decision was made.

The move, while providing a body blow to the Brisbane Racing Club (in terms of taking away its greatest marketing tool at this time) and a huge disappointment to thousands of fans who would have turned up to see the champion in action next week, is absolutely understandable given that Moody had a week earlier laid down specific ground rules for Black Caviar’s on-going schedule.

Speaking at a press conference at Eagle Farm last Thursday Moody said, “The owners are happy to keep going. If she was an entire she would be rushed off to stud because of the dollars, but she can only have one foal a year. They are a long-time a broodmare.

“Having said that, as I did with Typhoon Tracy this year … I retired her off the back of a Group 1 win … so the day that this mare tells me she’s had enough I wouldn’t hesitate to retire her. Whether that is after Saturday or after her next twenty runs I couldn’t tell you. She’ll tell us.”

Thankfully, this time around nobody is talking about retirement, but the same principle applies when it comes to dealing with the length of Black Caviar's current preparation … when to go one more or when to spell her.

“She’ll tell us,” Moody had said.

Well yesterday Moody listened to what Black Caviar was telling him. He took the message to the owners of the mare who, in turn, listened to Moody and the end result was that they all agreed it was time for Black Caviar to be given some serious ‘down time’. It was then that Moody notified the Stewards that he would not be accepting with Black Caviar for the Doomben 10 000.

This early removal of Black Caviar from the playing field for the Doomben 10 000 will put increased pressure on the Hay List camp.

The John McNair trained runner has had to play second fiddle to Black Caviar for some time but, in the process, he has shown himself to be an outstanding sprinter in his own right and the opportunity now beckons for him to take center stage.

It won’t be the same without Black Caviar, but the Doomben 10 000 will still be a cracker of a race with some superior talent on display.

Black Caviar has her own page on facebook where people have posted messages wishing her well during her break. Clearly most fans are still as enamoured by her last performance, which took her record to thirteen straight wins, as they are looking forward to her next outing, whenever that might be, when she will be looking to put her name alongside of that of Phar Lap, who landed fourteen wins in-a-row.

But right now the show must go on.

Hay List is warming up in the wings. He will have his turn next Saturday, but first we have to get through tomorrow’s meeting where the Group 1, Doomben Cup is the main feature on the card.

If the weather plays along as it did last Saturday, it should be another great day out at Doomben.

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