MV JAN 22 - MOODY COMMENTS ON HIS RISING STAR - 1

By Graham Potter | Saturday, January 23, 2010

In both the pre-race and post race interviews at the Australia Stakes meeting at Moonee Valley on Friday night trainer Peter Moody gave some interesting insight into the life and times of his rising star Black Caviar. This is the pre-race interview. For Moody’s post-race comments see separate article (Moody comments on his rising star - 2)

Trainer Peter Moody (speaking shortly before Black Caviar’s run in the Group 2 Australia Stakes at Moonee Valley): “She looks as good as she can be without racing, but I am mindful she is coming off a longish spell ... yeah, and a hiccup ... and a longer spell than most.

“As I said last night, the one thing about this filly is she got to have a great spell during the spring when most others were still pounding their heads against one another.

“I did make the comparison with General Nediym. Every now and again you close your eyes when one is sort of coming into a turn that fast and you think, crickey ... I hope she can get around it. She is one of those horses, you know. When you’ve got such a big horse going so fast you think ... you hold your breath ... and you are happy to see them come back each time they’ve done a bit of work.

“I think she is probably a couple of inches taller this prep than she was last prep. She is certainly thirty to forty kilos bigger, but she is big in proportion ... she is not obese or anything.

“She is just a lovely, big filly as you can see. She has got a great attitude towards it all. She can be a bit bullish and a bit piggy. You know she is one of those fillies, whenever she walks ... she’ll walk up alongside a rose-bush and lay on it, you know, whether you want to call that piggy.

“What the barrier blanket has done ... it hasn’t stopped her ... she’ll go into the gates and lay on the side of the gates. (Jockey) Luke (Nolen) knows her. The barrier boys know her. They just leave her there, but she’s come out clean.

“She went from one extreme to another. She missed the kick in her first three runs and then we got to Flemington (for the Danehill Stakes) and we probably geed her up a little bit too much and she then she tried to begin too quick and then fell over there. We’ve just got to find the happy medium.

“I’ve said to the owners here, I think she is vulnerable first-up. There are a couple of tough old horses. I just want to see her have a good hit-out and come back sound then I know we’re going to have a hell of an autumn regardless of tonight’s result.

“We’ll just play it by ear. Obviously with this soft tissue issue in her chest which she has injured probably on three occasions now ... we’ll just monitor that all the way. Because she is such a big filly and so brilliant she is always susceptible to those injuries.

“She does bring that injury upon herself. Whether it is out of the barriers or whether it is in a track gallop. It is not so much a question of going through the gears. She goes from cruising to flat out in one stride. It will be an issue for the rest of her life because she is such a big, robust filly.

“If I had Here De Angels in the race I’d be working her (Black Caviar) as hard as I can. Getting 5.5kg, if we are allowed to sleep at his girth you would think on past performances she’d have to win, so I’d be gassing her as far out as I could if I were him.”