Horse Racing

As Black Caviar prepares to defend her title in the 2012 Lightning Stakes at Flemington this Saturday in her first seven-day back-up, her younger half-brother All Too Hard will make their race debut in the day’s opener, the $100,000 Listed Talindert Stakes (1100m).

Black Caviar whose half-brother All Too Hard will debut in the Talindert Stakes at Flemington on Saturday

Kicking off the crack eight-event Lightning Stakes Day program, the 2012 Talindert Stakes is due to jump at 12:50pm, the two-year-olds’ feature attracting a final field of 13 starters.

Ten of the 13 youngsters accepted for Flemington Race 1 have previous race experience, but of the debutants it is #6 in gate nine that will be closely watched to see if they too have the ‘Black Caviar’ factor.

Prepared by the Michael, Wayne and John Hawkes training team, $1.075 million yearling All Too Hard is a Casino Price colt that shares the same dam, Desert Sun mare Helsinge, as Peter Moody’s superlative sprinter Black Caviar

Owned by Patinack Farm, All Too Hard goes to the races for the first time on Saturday and connections are praying they develop into a horse even half as talented as their brilliant sibling.

They showed good early ability winning an 800m trial at Flemington last Friday, an effort that had co-trainer Wayne Hawkes looking forward to Saturday’s test as they beat home fellow Talindert rival, the Peter Snowden-trained Forget, in a smart 47.05 seconds.

“Experience counts for a lot and having been associated with brothers of some of the top-line horses in the country, it makes you a little bit immune to the hoo ha,” Hawkes said.

“You have to block all that out and don’t even take that into consideration.

“It’s unfortunate for the horse (All Too Hard), because he’s always going to be compared to his sister and that’s quite unfortunate because you just don’t get too many like her.

“At the end of the day, I will be very, very happy is he’s half as good as his sister and wins nine races in a row instead of 18.

“He’s a classy colt, he does everything right, he’s got a great attitude he just needs to produce it on raceday.

“He’s ticking every box so far but he just needs to tick the most important one and that’s getting his head past the post first on Saturday.”

The other more noteworthy Talindert Stakes runners this year include Ricky Maund’s Blue Diamond Preview third placegetter Timely Truce in barrier four, the Peter Moody-trained colt Liberty Rock coming off a win over 1100-metres at Kyneton in their February 4 debut and the David Hayes-trained trio of Rappers Delight, Bass Strait and Extreme Impact.

Of course, the race punters will be waiting for on Saturday is the $750,000 Group 1 Lightning Stakes (1000m) at 4:10pm where Black Caviar will shoot for win No. 19.

She could be stretched for the first time in her flawless career to date as she comes off an effortless 1400-metre canter to claim the CF Orr Stakes at Caulfield last Saturday and goes back to 1000-metres against a class field where the speed will most certainly be on.

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2012 Talindert Stakes Final Field & Barrier Draw

Flemington Race 1 – 12:50pm – 18/02/2012