Could Caviar be on the Royal Ascot menu again?

Black Caviar after her gut-wrenching head victory in last year’s Diamond Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot. Image courtesy of racingfotos.com.

After an eight month lay-off following her Diamond Jubilee Stakes victory at Royal Ascot last June, in which she clung on by a head after pulling muscles in her back, Black Caviar broke the track record at Flemington, Melbourne, yesterday in a race named in her honour.

She stretched her unbeaten run to 23 races in the five furlong Black Caviar Lightning Stakes and showed that she had lost none of her brilliance, winning easily from stable companion Moment Of Change and beating the long-standing track record by 0.08 seconds.

‘‘I’m just so proud of her," said winning trainer, Peter Moody, who had saddled her to win the Lightning Stakes for the third time.

"I’m a little bit emotional for the first time, it’s good to have her back.

"I said to my girls, I think it is the first time I have been nervous for a long time.

"She is just a good news story and I am very grateful for the owners who are prepared to share her with everyone.

"We were on a hiding to nothing by bringing her back, the job was done and we thought it was over but to come back, do that and run a record, I’m lost for words."

One of the big questions now is whether they can be tempted to return to Royal Ascot in June, perhaps for the King’s Stand Stakes over five furlongs rather than the Diamond Jubilee over six, legs two and three in the sprint division of the QIPCO British Champions Series.

Will they consider it too big a risk for a mare who has had several injury problems in the past or will they want to show the world what Black Caviar can really do rather than leave the memory of her one race overseas as a desperate three-way photo finish?

The added carrot for connections, who are almost certain to retire the Aussie superstar this year, is that they could stay on in Britain for a couple of months after Royal Ascot and send Black Caviar to be covered by Frankel.

That match between two unbeaten superstars would create huge headlines in the breeding world and everyone would be on tenterhooks to see how their foal would fare on the track.

The chances of Black Caviar coming over to race are probably slim, but it’s not yet been ruled out so fingers crossed that her owners and trainer will once again venture over to the world’s greatest race meeting where no less than seven QIPCO British Champions Series races will take place between 18 and 22 June.