Today undefeated-champion mare Black Caviar chases her 18th win in the C.F. Orr Stakes at Caulfield. Join us for live updates, which will commence in the lead up to the 3.50pm AEDT start time.
For a horse that has taken racing in Australia by storm, there is still a lot for Black Caviar to achieve and today she’s aiming to extend her winning record to the seven furlong distance (1400m) – the gateway to the mile for sprinters.
Peter Moody has been looking after his mare from day one. Black Caviar won convincingly over 1350m at Doomben about nine months ago so her rise from 1200 to 1400 is not as extravagant as it would be if she had never raced beyond 1200m metres before.
The Black Flash comes into today’s affair with her perfect record intact.
Her first-up win was one of the most dominant group wins you will ever see but such was the poor quality of her opposition in the Australia Stakes at Moonee Valley that it’s pretty hard to gauge just how Caviar is going this preparation – she’s obviously flying, but has she improved?
A win today would place Black Caviar alongside the champion Australian galloper Ajax who won 18 straight in the late 1930s before being beaten at the prohibitive odds of 40/1 on ($1.025) in the race now known as the Ranvet Stakes at Rosehill.
Black Caviar can also surpass sprinter Silent Witness who won 17 straight in Hong Kong (the last of those 17 at his first try at 1400 metres) before having his colours lowered for the first time in his maiden attempt at the mile.
Silent Witness, along with Apache Cat, will lead Black Caviar onto Caulfield today.
Black Caviar is set to meet eight well-credentialed opponents this afternoon, headlined by 2011 Caulfield Cup winner Southern Speed and it looks like the two mares down the bottom (Caviar and Southern Speed) will fight the race out.
The two token sprinters in the race are Danzylum and Doubtful Jack, who are capable of running into a placing should everything fall into place.
The rest of the field is made up of stayers: Efficient, Playing God, Midas Touch, Precedence and Illo are all capable at this level but usually at a much longer distance and after a run back from a break.
The West Australian Playing God showed his class when placing in the Australian Cup, Australian Guineas and Turnbull Stakes – all Group 1s – in Melbourne last year. He was also successful in claiming a second Kingstown Town Classic in Perth last December.
Precedence and Midas Touch are probably the best of those stayers when presented fresh.
Black Caviar will win today. It’s that simple. The distance won’t pose a problem and it will be some spectacle for the 30,000 people that will attend Caulfield (and if you’re interested there is free entry for everyone as well).
Southern Speed was outstanding first up at the same track and distance as today’s race. She came off the speed to beat the boys with 60 kilograms on Australia Day. That takes some effort!
She should run second. And a similarly-strong performance second-up could make first prize interesting too.
The race for third is an open one and could provide a little sneak preview to the staying races ahead in the autumn carnival.
There will not be too many more opportunities to see Black Caviar at home. There is a possibility (although unlikely) that today’s C.F Orr will be her last start in Australia before she heads overseas to take on the world. Let’s hope she does it again!
Can Black Caviar carve out yet another notch on her already-legendary record this afternoon? Join us for comprehensive commentary of the race from 3.50pm AEDT, and leave your predictions on the race below.
BBP
Guest
BC's connections should enter her in the Queen Anne. She should be set for it after the Futurity. If she was to come to second to Frankel it would do her legacy no harm. She would be taking on the 1600m world champion, 20,000kms away from home, at his home track, on a undulating track unfamiliar to her, over a trip that is at least a furlong beyond her ideal and at his pet distance. If she lost, for all those valid reasons, she would be forgiven. And imagine the accolades she would receive simply for trying it against all the odds. In true Aussie underdog style. If she won, you can forget Sea Bird, Makybe Diva, Kingston Town, Tulloch, Vain, Sea the Stars, Cigar, and Ruffian ... She would go straight into the top bracket of Secretariat, Sea Bird, Man 'O War, and Phar Lap. And you know what ... I think she would win. She has never been fully extended. NEVER. She settles beautifully in her races now and her turn of foot is peerless. When she lets down there is nothing that can stay with her. With her speed, Frankel would not see which way she went over 1200m. Frankel on the other hand has been extended. He has won them all, but he has had to bust a gut on several occasions to do it. He would try to burn BC off in the first 5 furlongs to take advantage of his stamina and he'd still be leading with 1 furlong to go, but something tells me BC would be mowing him down with that long loping stride of her's. BC by 1-2 lengths for me.
sheek
Guest
Guys, I think I'll submit an article to the Roar on racing. Here are my top 10 Australian races offered in no particular order other than category, except to say I would have most of them more valuable than the Golden Slipper. The industry should be built around these 10 races. 1. VRC Melbourne Cup 3200m - leading open-age (3y+) long-distance Hcp. 2. MRC Caulfield Cup 2400m - leading open-age middle-distance Hcp. 3. ATC Doncaster Hcp 1600m - leading open-age mile Hcp. 4. QTC Stradbroke Hcp 1400m - leading open-age mile-sprint Hcp. 5. VRC Newmarket Hcp 1200m - leading open-age sprint Hcp. 6. ATC HE Tancred Stakes (BMW) 2400m - leading open-age long-distance WFA. 7. MVRC WS Cox Plate - leading open-age middle-distance WFA. 8. VRC Australian Cup 2000m - secondary open-age middle-distance WFA. 9. ATC Australian Derby 2400m - leading 3yo middle-distance set-weight classic. 10. ATC Golden Slipper 1200m - leading 2yo sprint set-weight classic. Each major carnival should be built around the following 20 races: 1. Handicap races over the following distances - 1200m, 1600m, 2400m & 3200m. 2. WFA races over 1200m, 1600m, 2000m (x2) & 2400m. 3. 3yo classic races over 1600m (x2), 2000m, 2400m (x2) & 2800m. 4. 2yo classic races over 1000m, 1200m & 1400m. 5. Fillies & mares races over say 1400m & 2200m.
Justin
Guest
Sheek - good points again. RE BC - weights times ease of victory all point to greatness IMO.
sheek
Guest
jcinque, The Golden Slipper is something that irks me, really irks me. I'm gobsmacked this is our second richest race. Totally gobsmacked. Okay, I understand - quick return on investment. Horse wins, send it back to breeding immediately, repeat cycle. Good for the breeder, good for the owner, but industry as a whole is short-changed. Imagine the Olympic 100m sprint final being restricted to 12 year old boys & girls. That's exactly what the Golden Slipper is the equivalent of. Do we really want a juvenile race as our richest horse race? I have no problems with the Golden Slipper being our best two-year-old race. But to have it competing with the Melbourne Cup as our most valuable horse race says everything that is wrong with our racing. We have so many great races that are ignored - other great wfa races like the Australian Cup & HE Tancred Stakes (BMW); 3yo classics like the Australian & Victorian Derbies; the great mile Doncaster Hcp; the mile-sprint Stradbroke Hcp; & the sprint Newmarket Hcp. And there was a time the Sydney Cup rivaled the Melbourne Cup in prestige, & all the 'big 5' cups were group one over 3200 metres - Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide, Brisbane, Perth. Yet people rabbit on about the Golden Slipper rivaling the Melbourne Cup - pathetic! Justin, Yes BC makes everything look ridiculously easy. But is that because she REALLy is that good, or the opposition is too weak?
Justin Cinque
Expert
Racing has huge problems. Here are another couple of obvious ones: Black Caviar is what our sprint-racing-geared breeding industry dreams of, yet such is the dearth of talent in our sprinting ranks that she is constantly taking on fields smaller than ten, that include only one or two group 1-placed or even stakes-winning horses. The few that are capable of giving her a race are too often scared so we have Caviar carving out five length wins against open/listed grade gallopers half the time. The other problem I have is... with the sprint-racing-geared breeding industry we attempt to produce Black Caviar's yet only one race, the GOlden Slipper, for two-year olds, offers prizemoney of over $2.5M. All our other $2.5M+ races are for stayers and we CANNOT produce one of our own. Even Makybe Diva was British bred. We have the BMW, Caulfield Cup, Cox PLate and Melbourne Cup for stayers worth more than $2.5M yet the last decent stayers we produced are probably Might and Power (NZ bred born 1993) and Northerly (Aus bred born 1996) and you can include the NZer Sunline (1995 kiwi bred) as well.
Justin
Guest
She had to work v HL but still smashed him on the line. No one has got "close".
Justin
Guest
Agree with much of that Sheek re staters and a fascination with shorter races. Doesn't the latter point though make BCs achievements more exceptional? I have never seen a horse literally stroll to 4-8 length wins again and again.
sheek
Guest
jcinque, It's unfortunate that a question mark hangs over Black Caviar's true worth. If we're talking out & out sprinters, then I guess her competition, at least since my time dating back about 45 years, would be Manikato & Vain. I reckon she's better than Manikato, but racing against Vain would have been something to see.I was only a young bloke when Vain raced, & perhaps my memory is fading, but he was really something. And he had some decent opposition, like Daryl's Joy on one or two occasions. I also note quite a few racing identities have declared Black Caviar the "best ever", prominent among them Simon O'Donnell. Over the years you become cynical at the motivation of sporting identities. Does O'Donnell really believe this, or is he drumming up business, drumming up interest in racing? As for Australian racing, I lament the loss of our staying industry. That really hurts. I don't understand the move to the US-style homogenised racing of 1000-2000 metres races. Or should I say an obsession with 5 to 10 furlong races. It might be good for the breeders & owners to have quick turnarounds of horses, but the industry will suffer in the long run due to lack of variety of distances & lack of champions racing each other over several years. To me the problems of Australian are obvious. But it seems to me the 'quick buck' is God at present.....
Justin Cinque
Expert
But don't forget that Black Caviar is about to attempt something incredible. If she can win her next two starts - the Lightning Stakes and Futurity Stakes, it will cap off an incredible three weeks. It would mean Group 1 wins in consecutive weeks over 1400 metres, 1000 metres and then a mile. It is Phar-Lap like stuff. Not since the Big Red have we seen horses achieve things like this. It could possibly stand alongside (although more like the little brother or sister as it were of) Phar Lap's 1930 Melbourne Cup Carnival where he managed to win on all four days - 2000m of the Melbourne Stks (now known as the Mackinnon) on Derby Day, the two miles of the Cup on Cup Day, the 1600m of the Linlithgow on Oaks Day and the 2400m of the Fisher Plate (perhaps what is now the Queen's Cup/QE) on Stakes Day. DOn't under-estimate what Moody is trying to achieve with Black Caviar - it can only be soured by poor fields turning up. I hope she has to beat some good ones to get to 20 from here because it won't be easy. This is the first time in her career that she is being exposed. I can't wait to see how she handles it.
Justin Cinque
Expert
You make some really good points. Australian racing, Caviar aside, is not in a great way. We haven't had depth in the WFA ranks, especially in the middle distane races, for probably a decade. Black Caviar, whilst always brilliant hasn't often met competitive fields. Her wins against Hay List and perhaps the day she beat Wanted are the only times she's really been tested. Not even the highly-rated Cyrstal Lily was able to trouble her. A nation with a great history of producing sprinters should be able to provide better oppostion - although the connections of possible challengers like Barakey and Rain Affair are often too scared to meet her which says something That's why winning overseas is so important. If the the likes of Choisir, Takeover Target, Scenic Blast,and Miss Andretti have been able to it, so must Black Caviar. I think she'll star overseas and prove to be one of our greatest ever. Until she does I have to rate horses like the Diva and Kingstown Town above her. But I have her above SYT and Sunline but I can see where the Sunline fans are coming from -- they didn't hand her the two Donnies and two Cox Plates. Cav on the other hand has met some really easy fields in group races.
sheek
Guest
She made it look easy, didn't she? However, I remain unconvinced she's better than horses like Sunline, Northerly & Makybe Diva. Or even So You Think. I just don't think we have the depth in our racing in Australia anymore. Perhaps she needs to go overseas & compete against better quality horses, in order to convince the doubters like me that she's the real deal.
Justin Cinque
Expert
True. That's right and Hay List almost pinched one in Sydney but she's at her peak right now. A race against Frankel would be HUGE. It needs to happen. The things it would do for both English and Australian racing would be massive.
Cam Larkin
Roar Guru
In QLD she was pushed and just got the win. She's a true champ but I've seen them all.love to see her race frankel.
Justin Cinque
Expert
Thanks for your company today. Business as usual for Black Caviar.
Justin Cinque
Expert
So there it is. Black Caviar once again too good. She was given a peach of a ride by Nolen, asked to pass them at the 400. She it did without breaking into a sweat. Southern Speed defied a lack of early pace to come from near last to grab second on the line. Playing God, the West Aussie, a game third.
Justin Cinque
Expert
No I agree, she must travel. I rate her above Sunline. I rate Makybe the best I've ever seen live (never seen Cav live) but, in my opinion, Black Caviar is only one overseas win away from being the best Australian horse produced since Tulloch. She's undefeated, untapped really. I've never seen her off the bit. It's freakish.
Justin Cinque
Expert
Nolen: "If you're were writing a script, that's how you like it to go..." "If we got beaten, I would just want to continue riding home..." "I just slipped her a bit of rein...she just thought it was game on."
Cam Larkin
Roar Guru
I don't understand when people say why does she have to travel to prove she's the best in the world. Makybe and Sunline still rate better for me.
Justin Cinque
Expert
So Cav gets to 18. Passes Silent Witness' 17 and levels up with the great Ajax. We are so lucky. Official margin was three lengths. Make no bones about it, it was soft. As Shane Templeton says :"She's just had a track gallop today..."
Justin Cinque
Expert
Moody says he wants to take her to Flemington for the Lightning over 1000m next Saturday. Moody: "I'm going to have to do more work with her Saturday morning than what she did today to get her ready for the Futurity". He wants to back her up next week. To see a horse win the Orr one week, then win the Lightning the next would unbelievable. Only horses like Phar Lap have done stuff like that. Going from 1400 to 1000 then back to 1600 in three weeks is unprecedented.