Australia’s super mare Black Caviar (Bel Esprit) had to dig deep but still proved too good for the grand sprinter Hay List (Statue Of Liberty) in the $750,000, Group 1 Coolmore Lightning Stakes (1000m) at Flemington on Saturday.

Black Caviar treated her opposition with disdain in last Saturday’s Group 1 C F Orr Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield but the drop back in distance combined with racing for the second time in seven days left the mare with a tougher challenge than many expected.

Hay List’s rider Glyn Schofield lived up to his pre-race promise to ride the John McNair sprinter aggressively in the Lightning Stakes. Hay List and Black Caviar shared the early lead with the consistent Queensland speedster Hay List.

Hay List tried hard to match Black Caviar’s acceleration over the final 200 metres but the Victorian-bred sensation proved too strong for her male rivals. Black Caviar drew away to score a decisive 1-3/4 length win over Hay List with Buffering another two lengths away in third.


 

Black Caviar powers away from Hay List, picture quentinjlang.com

Black Caviar’s amazing sectional time of 31.82 seconds for her last 600 metres took the five-year-old within .03 of Special’s long-standing track record of 55 seconds flat for the 1000 metres. Black Caviar paid $1.10 on the Victorian TAB.

“Anytime she has been up for a fight and he (Hay List) is the only horse that has made her fight,” Moody said. “With all due respect, he is a great horse but it's just unfortunate that he's run into a freak

“She was never going to show turn of foot that she had first up last year in this race, and we always had that planned that we weren't going to be too far away.”

“She loves the straight. I flagged it in December so it has always been on the back of my mind and I think I have trained her accordingly but obviously she's had a seven furlong (1400m Orr Stakes) race and to come back to the five (furlongs, 1000m) was always going to be an ask.”


 

Black Caviar owners and support team, picture sportpix.com.au


 

Moody said the latest war with Hay List would all but rule Black Caviar out of next Saturday’s Group 1 Futurity Stakes (1400m), which would be her third start in as many Saturdays if she started in the Caulfield event.

“I would pretty much say that she won't be there next week,” Moody said. “For her to be there next Saturday, she probably had to have it softer today so we will let the dust settle but she needed to have it softer today to butter up three weeks in a row.”

“I'll sit down with the owners but if she goes to Dubai, she has probably run her last race in Australia this prep (preparation). If she doesn't go to Dubai we will look at what option leads us into Royal Ascot.”

Black Caviar is out of the Desert Sun mare Helsinge, who was also the dam of the Listed Talindert Stakes winner All Too Hard (Casino Prince). Moody paid $210,000 for Black Caviar out of the Swettenham Stud draft at the 2008 Inglis Premier Yearling Sale in Melbourne.

G J & Mrs K J Wilkie, Werrett Bloodstock P/L Syndicate (Mgr: N Werrett), C & Mrs J Madden, P Hawkes and D M & Mrs J Taylor comprise the lucky syndicate that owns Black Caviar. The $450,000 winner’s cheque took Black Caviar’s prizemoney tally to $5,193,050.


 

Number 19 for Black Caviar and Nolen, picture quentinjlang.com

Full result for the Group 1 Coolmore Lightning Stakes