As Oscietra retires, will Makybe Diva or Black Caviar produce high-quality offspring?

The intricacies of the breeding world are playing out this week, as our famous mares and their fairly unspectacular breeding careers continue.

Yesterday the racing career of Black Caviar’s first foal Oscietra came to an end, while her brother starts on Saturday, and a filly out of Makybe Diva makes her first start today at Werribee.

The filly Oscietra, the first foal of champion mare Black Caviar and by Exceed And Excel, had managed two wins from five starts, but her owners will be hoping for far more success in the breeding barn. The filly, trained by David and Ben Hayes and Tom Dabernig, had some lingering injury issues and with the breeding season approaching, the decision was made.

She went out at $2.10 or so odds on debut, stepping out at Flemington in a two-year-old race, Oscietra ended up being beaten by the eventual Blue Diamond Preview winner in Limestone, who was handy enough. But the horse named after a type of expensive caviar never really went on with it, despite winning two soft races. Even 1000m looked too far for her; all sprint and not a lick stamina, to my eye.

So she’s off to the breeding barn, where her connections will how she can deliver better results. But at least she won some races – many of these blue-blood types don’t manage at all.

We’ll get a chance to see the next in line, so to speak, with two famed horse progeny racing on debut today and tomorrow.

Divanation, a daughter of Makybe Diva by Black Caviar’s half-brother in All Too Hard steps out in Race 4 at Werribee in a humble maiden plate over 1625m, where she’s a $2.70 favourite. She’s coming off a nice trial win at Tatura, and has been given a long time in careful preparation by trainer Tony McEvoy.

She first trialled last Christmas, and McEvoy hinted then that she might not see the races for some months, which has been an accurate prediction.

“She’s a very nice filly. We’ve been very patient with her as with her pedigree she was always going to come at three or four,” McEvoy said.

“Here we are at Christmas time of her three-year-old days and it’s the first time I’ve got a bit serious with her.

“She had a 1400-metre trial [in December 2017] and she was OK in the trial I thought.

“She’s got to get over ground. As we’ve seen with the All Too Hards, they have taken a little time to come but now they’ve got to their three-year-old days, he’s really rising to be a good stallion.

“I am not sure she’ll go to the races at this prep but I want to assess her a bit more to see that if we are going to wait another six months, there is going to be enough for us there at the end.

“I am confident that will happen, but it’s a trial-by-trial basis at the moment.”

Divanation’s race doesn’t look too tough, but she hasn’t had much significant money, and isn’t going beyond a mile, so the punters aren’t diving in just yet.

Black Caviar’s next in line at the races, Prince of Caviar, will begin his career at Sandown Lakeside on Saturday in Race 1.

He’s a $6 chance in an open race first-up for the Hawkes stable in a two-year-old handicap over 1200m. That would suggest the son of Sebring hasn’t been setting the clock alight, but seeing him go around safely might be enough this early on in his career.

I don’t think you’ll catch me backing them, but at least Divanation’s race looks fairly soft, whereas Prince Of Caviar will have his work cut out for him. Here’s hoping they race well.