Unbeaten Caviar earns a mid-term break

Australian sprint sensation Black Caviar will not race on the west coast at Perth on November 19 in the Group 1 Winterbottom Stakes and will instead be given a mid-season break following her latest effortless success in the Group 1 Patinack Farm Classic at Flemington at the weekend, a race she was winning for the second successive year, writes Elliot Slater.

Peter Moody’s world leading mare is now unbeaten in all 16 career starts at five and six furlongs and has become almost unbackable in her native land, winning her last three starts at odds of 1/14, 1/33, and on Saturday taking the Group 1 contest at the unprecedented odds of 1/25, winning by two-and-a-three-quarter-lengths from the very useful Buffering without ever being asked a serious question by her ever-present rider Luke Nolen. Even people looking at the Grand National betting online will have been impressed.

After returning to her home stables Black Caviar was noted to be slightly jarred up and apparently suffering from a slight muscle tear in her hind quarters, a minor injury but one that indicates that a nice break is due. Moody has ruled out the intended trip to Perth (much to the disappointment of the authorities there), and is likely to bring the daughter of Bel Esprit back for the Group 1 Australia Stakes at Moonee Valley at the end of January. Anyone with a Grand National free bets offer will have been impressed.

All roads will hopefully lead to Royal Ascot for the five-year-old mare who is already being flagged up as the star attraction of the 2012 fixture having declined an invitation to race there this season. Moody made it clear in the summer that he would tailor his superstar’s campaign around a trip to the royal meeting in June where she would most likely take her chance in either or both of the King’s Stand Stakes or the Golden Jubilee Stakes, races that have proved happy hunting grounds for previous top Australian sprinters such as Takeover Target, Miss Andretti, and the mighty Choisir.