WRAPS FOR BEL’S BELLE

Stallions was quick off the mark to laud Black Caviar’s triumphant return at Moonee Valley.

Black Caviar made her much anticipated return to racing tonight in the $200,000 Group 2 Essendon Mazda Australia Stakes (registered name Stanley Wooton Stakes) over 1200m at Moonee Valley.
And until tonight no three-year-old filly had been victorious in the weight-for-age sprint and the brown daughter of Bel Esprit changed that and kept her perfect record in tact making it win number five.
Black Caviar is trained at Caulfield by Peter Moody for a large syndicate of owners’ and the ease of her victory against her older rivals this evening could be the beginning of a campaign that may take the team to Dubai for a crack at the US$2.5 million Golden Shaheen in March.
Black Caviar has filled out into her frame and strengthened up. Her physique is one that Arnie Schwarzenegger would be proud of.
Black Caviar had her spring campaign cut short when she was tore a muscle in the chest when jumping awkwardly in the Group 2 Danehill Stakes (1200m), and still win, at Flemington in September last year.
Moody has worked hard on her barrier technique and tonight with a barrier blanket on for the first time she jumped away beautifully.
Moody said the Golden Shaheen will come under consideration but not until Black Caviar contests her first Group One race back at Moonee Valley in the William Reid Stakes (1200m) on February 13.
Bel Esprit is enjoying a good run of success with Silver Bullion and Beltrois collecting stakes events at the last two Saturday meetings in Victoria.
A son of Royal Academy, Bel Esprit was a tough racehorse having raced exclusively in stakes events during his 19 start career, where he won eight of them including the Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes and the Doomben 10000.
Black Caviar was a $210,000 yearling purchase out of the 2008 William Inglis Melbourne Premier yearling sale and is from a family that just keeps on getting better.
Her dam, Helsinge, a daughter of Desert Sun, is half-sister to Flying Spur’s sprint star Magnus – winner of the Group 1 AJC The Galaxy and the Group 2 VRC Linlithgow Stakes, and stands alongside Bel Esprit at Eliza Park Stud in Victoria in his new career, and to Wilander (by Exceed and Excel), winner of the Group 2 Schillaci Stakes. Black Caviar’s grandam is the very fast daughter of Snippets in Scandinavia.


Black Caviar a Arnie lookalike? One thing’s for sure … she’ll be baaaack.