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Wearing salmon and black will be much more than a fashion statement at Flemington on Saturday when Black Caviar's growing army of fans turn out to watch her shoot for her 16th straight victory in the $1 million Patinack Farm Classic.
Photo by Racing and Sports
It has become the norm for racegoers to wear a combination of salmon and black to match Black Caviar’s silks whenever she is racing.
Black Caviar is the most popular horse to race in Australia since triple Melbourne Cup winner Makybe Diva with her public aura rivalling the adoration that was bestowed on champions Phar Lap and Kingston Town at the height of their careers.
The racing public expect her to win and so to does her jockey Luke Nolen.
In fact Nolen believes Black Caviar is ready for the peak performance of her brief spring campaign, expecting the mare will go to another level after her recent wins at Caulfield and Moonee Valley.
She faces only six rivals, three of them stable mates while the other three have at some stage in their careers tried to match it with the champion mare only to have their hearts broken.
"She'll be peaking tomorrow and what we'll see tomorrow is probably Black Caviar at her best in Melbourne this spring," Nolen said.
However Nolen said Black Caviar will not be racing the clock
"As long as she's winning, it doesn't matter. They don't pay any more for breaking track records," he said.
"I'll just ride her to win."
Black Caviar is aiming for back to back wins in the Patinack Classic. IT will be her seventh Group 1 win, her sixth race win at Flemington and will take her prizemoney past $4 million.
In last year’s Patinack Classic she was ridden by Ben Melham, only one of three times that Nolen has not been her rider as he was serving a suspension.
It’s been a frustrating Melbourne Cup week for Nolen as he is winless after 20 rides on the first three days of the carnival, a rare statistic for last season’s Melbourne premiership winner.
Black Caviar's trainer Peter Moody has also been winless with 15 starters on the first three days of the carnival.
Moody said the $1 million prizemoney and Group One status of the Patinack Classic are the reason why he is lining up three stablemates, all mares, against Black Caviar on Saturday.
"A Group One placing on their resume would mean a lot to their pedigrees as they are all multiple stakeswinners," he said.
"I don't expect them to be competitive with Black Caviar. They are racing for second or third."