She came, she conquered and she’s not stopping yet. Last Saturday Peter Moody’s super mare and super freak Black Caviar scored her 13th career-opening victory, easily defeating another crack field of sprinters in the BTC Cup at Doomben.
Black Caviar will attempt her 14th consecutive win in the Doomben 10,000
Surpassing her own record of successive wins, four-year-old Black Caviar lined up the raging favourite in her sixth elite level assignment and gave the fans in Queensland a show they will never forget.
Without breaking a sweat, the flawless daughter of Bel Esprit became a six time Group 1 winner across three states with a gun run that saw Black Caviar once again get the better of Hay List.
Her superior strength, skill and record saw Black Caviar start as the $1.14 favourite in the $400,000 Group 1 BTC Cup (1200m) at Doomben and despite the short odds there were plenty of punters backing the mighty mare just to say they had bet on the best horse in the world.
Jumping from barrier four, Black Caviar found herself settling into third with Hay List and Robert Heathcote’s up-and-coming local three-year-old Buffering hitting the front early.
Champion hoop Luke Nolen brought his ace mount Caviar up against Hay List and she sat with him for around 100m.
Hay List’s jockey Glen Boss briefly entertained thoughts of an upset until he looked over and saw the queen was just cantering.
Once on the Doomben straight, a capacity crowd of 20,134 endearing fans cheered their hearts out as Black Caviar unleashed her scintillating burst, easily coasting to the lead.
On the line Black Caviar had two lengths to spare over the John McNair-trained Hay List ($1.14) while Buffering ($31) finished a brave third another four and three-quarter lengths back.
Moody, seen wiping tears from his eyes after his stable favourite saluted once again, said he held no fears Black Caviar would be beaten once she began to hone in on the frontrunners.
“Once she flattened out I knew she wouldn’t be beaten,” Moody said.
“It sends a tingle up your spine and she’s something to behold.”
Moody also gave connections of Hay List a nice consolation comment.
“She’s beaten probably the second best sprinter in the world,” he said of the BTC Cup runner-up.
Finishing off the top four was the John Thompson-trained No Evidence Needed, the $201 roughie of the BTC Cup field earning their fair share of admirers.
Con Karakatsanis’ dual Stradbroke winner Black Piranha ($61) was also far from disgraced crossing seven lengths back from the winner in fifth.
Rounding out the field were last year’s BTC Cup winner Albert The Fat (sixth), Gerald Ryan’s classy mare Melito (seventh) and veteran galloper Sniper’s Bullet (eighth).
Saturday was the fourth time five-year-old Hay List had faced Black Caviar and although defeated, he came the closest he ever had to the superstar.
There is no denying Hay List is great, it’s just that Caviar is greater, possibly the greatest.
“She was just too good for us,” McNair said.
Moody has since confirmed that Black Caviar came through the race beautifully and would remain in Queensland with her next run scheduled as the $650,000 Group 1 Doomben 10,000 (1350m) Saturday week.
If Black Caviar steps up to the 1350m for the first time successfully, she will equal the remarkable Phar Lap for consecutive race wins and come within one of the celebrated Oakey-bred Bernborough who enjoyed a winning sequence of 15 straight wins.
Bernborough’s impressive streak included victory in the 1946 edition of the Doomben 10,000.
Doomben 10,000 success for Black Caviar, however, will see her equal Bernborough on seven consecutive Group 1 wins.
She will also boost her position up to second on the all-time list of Australian racehorses to enjoy multiple Group 1 wins in a single season.
Leading this list of greats is Tulloch, who as a three-year-old back in 1957 – 58 scored 10 elite level victories.
In the pre-field Doomben 10,000 markets Black Caviar is already at $1.18 followed by Hay List at $5 and Buffering at $12.
Gosford-based trainer McNair remains optimistic that Hay List’s time will come and that every horse, including Black Caviar, has the ability to be beaten.
“I’m dying to get her out further in distance,” McNair said after the BTC Cup.
“If he (Hay List) had drawn inside of her today (Saturday) then we wouldn’t have had to work so hard for the lead.”
Moody relished in the atmosphere that Black Caviar created at Doomben on Saturday and loved being able to show Brisbane first-hand what all the fuss over his mare was about.
“It’s just great to showcase her to the Australian racing public,” Moody said.
“Now Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane have had that opportunity.
“She’s just terrific for the sport.
“It’s a pain in the backside to have to showcase her, but it’s an honourable one.”
