NINE SLEEPS

The Black Caviar (Bel Esprit) roadshow is back in town, writes ANZ Bloodstock News. The unbeaten, best sprinter in the world according to the 2011 IFHA World Rankings, delighted trainer Peter Moody in an 800m jump out at Caulfield on Tuesday.

Black Caviar is scheduled to make her reappearance in the $200,000 Australia Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m) at Moonee Valley in nine days time on 27 January.

Speaking to Shane Anderson on Radio Sport National yesterday morning, Moody said the daughter of Bel Esprit galloped under race jockey Luke Nolen and was ‘in unbelievable order’ ahead of her bid to stretch her unbeaten sequence to 17. “She had a nice burn around on the course proper. They went from the 1200m chute to the home turn. She had a nice gallop and her action was good and I’m very pleased with her.”

Black Caviar won the Australia Stakes in 2010 on her first start after a strained chest muscle had forced her to spell, and Moody said there was no rush to have the five-year-old fully wound up for her reappearance. “She’s got a long six or seven months ahead of her so we don’t need to be doing everything on the training tracks at this point in time.”

Moody has made no secret of his desire to extend Black Caviar in trip beyond 1200m and he reiterated that yesterday. “I’ve been busting to do that for probably two years. I’ve always felt her improvement would come when we stretched her out in distance, so I’ll either be a mug or a genius in about three week’s time when we see her in the Orr.”