TEN gallopers have been nominated for the much-anticipated Australia Stakes at Moonee Valley on Friday night, but while a clash headed by Denman, Black Caviar and Lucky Secret might look mouth-watering on paper there is no certainty any of the three will take their place in the $200,000 race, reports The Age.It says: Much will depend on how Lucky Secret, the winner of the race last year, and Black Caviar work at Caulfield this morning (Tuesday). Black Caviar's trainer Peter Moody has the option
TEN gallopers have been nominated for the much-anticipated Australia Stakes at Moonee Valley on Friday night, but while a clash headed by Denman, Black Caviar and Lucky Secret might look mouth-watering on paper there is no certainty any of the three will take their place in the $200,000 race, reports The Age.
It says: Much will depend on how Lucky Secret, the winner of the race last year, and Black Caviar work at Caulfield this morning (Tuesday). Black Caviar's trainer Peter Moody has the option of missing Friday's race and waiting for the Kevin Hayes Stakes (1200 metres) at Caulfield on Tuesday, a race restricted to three-year-old fillies.
Lucky Secret's trainer Tony Vasil will also wait to see how the gelding comes through his work before making a decision on whether to run and, while he is not scared of taking on Black Caviar, he certainly will not mind if she is not there.
''He'll trial in the morning and we'll just see how he goes and how he comes through it before deciding which way he goes,'' Vasil said. ''I'd prefer she [Black Caviar] wasn't in it. She appears to be a top-class horse so you'd prefer to not be taking her on unless you had to, but it is his favourite track,'' Vasil said.
The other option for Lucky Secret is a trip to Tasmania for Sunday's $80,000 Thetote.com.au Stakes (1200 metres), which is also run at weight-for-age but Vasil is mindful of the cost to travel to Tasmania for much less prizemoney.
''Little fish are sweet but second placing at Moonee Valley would be comparable after the travel costs come into it.''
Vasil had contemplated taking Lucky Secret to New Zealand for Saturday's $NZ1 million Telegraph Handicap (1200 metres) at Trentham but abandoned those plans when a direct flight to Wellington was not available.
''Logistically it was just too hard to go there because they don't fly horses into Wellington, so it was going to be a 3¢-hour flight followed by a 10-hour float trip. It was too much mucking around.''
Denman's trainer, Peter Snowden, said he would study today's nominations for the Zeditave Stakes (1200 metres) at Caulfield on Tuesday before making a decision on whether to run on Friday night.