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Sport

Moody eyes Lightning Stakes for Black Caviar

February 12, 2012

A decision on whether Black Caviar runs in the Lightning Stakes will not be made until Wednesday.

Trainer Peter Moody has thrown a curve ball at some of his fellow trainers who targeted their horses at the group1 sprint on the basis the mare would not be in the race.

However, after the 18th consecutive win in Saturday's CF Orr Stakes (1400 metres), Moody was warming even further to the idea of the seven-day back-up at Flemington.

He reasons she will have to have a searching 1000m gallop on Saturday anyway, so it might as well be for prizemoney.

The ease with which she passed her first test at 1400m in the Orr has added another dimension to her growing legend.

''We all had shivers yesterday. We are in awe of her,'' part-owner Neil Werrett said yesterday.

''I asked Peter last night about the Lightning and his comment was '50-50'. She will be nominated [today] and won't do much work until Wednesday. It will depend after that how she is whether she will be an acceptor or not.

''She was quite amazing [on Saturday]. [Jockey] Luke [Nolen] didn't touch her and if anything was pulling her up at the end.

''The reason being we wanted to look after her with a view to next week.''

Moody admitted Black Caviar was high maintenance and Werrett says just because it looks easy, her efforts take their toll.

''It looked easy but it still takes a lot out of her,'' he said. ''She is such a big horse. She is an out-and-out champion and we have to protect her and make sure her health is 100per cent.''

Hay List, who finished second to Black Caviar three times last autumn, heads the other entries, which will include Queenslander Buffering, who ran second to her in the Patinack Farm Classic in November.

The Lightning Stakes is a leg of the Global Sprint Challenge which includes the Diamond Jubilee Stakes, Black Caviar's mission at Royal Ascot in June.