Black Caviar cruises to 25th straight victory

Black Caviar extended her unbeaten streak to 25 races, and won an astonishing 15th Group 1 race in Saturday’s $1,050,000 T.J. Smith Stakes at Randwick Racecourse in Australia.

Similar to so many of her victories, the 7-year-old Black Caviar won without difficulty in the race over about six furlongs.

Ridden by regular jockey Luke Nolen, Black Caviar (1-7 in the betting) broke from the rail in a field of 11. Nolen kept her behind rivals until the top of the stretch of the right-handed track and took the lead with a furlong remaining and won by three lengths over the 40-1 outsider Epaulette. Bel Sprinter, a 12-1 shot, finished third.

The Smith Stakes was Black Caviar’s third start of 2013, all of which have been Group 1 races. She won the Group 1 Diamond Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot in England last June in her final start of 2012.

Owned by a partnership and trained by Peter Moody, Black Caviar’s next start is uncertain. One possibility is the $420,000 BTC Cup over about six furlongs at Eagle Farm Racecourse near Brisbane on May 11. The race was originally scheduled for Doomben Racecourse but has been switched to the larger Eagle Farm in anticipation of a bumper crowd.

With the win on Saturday, Black Caviar earned a fees-paid berth to the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint at Santa Anita in November as part of the Breeders’ Cup Win and You’re In program. There has been no indication from her owners or trainer that Black Caviar is bound for the United States.

There were two other Group 1 races at Randwick on Saturday.

It’s a Dundeel, the 1-4 favorite, won the $1,575,000 Australian Derby over 1 1/2 miles by six lengths over Philippi for his third consecutive Group 1 win this year.

Guelph, a 17-2 shot, won the $530,000 Inglis Sires Produce Stakes over seven furlongs for 2-year-olds by three-quarters of a length over 70-1 Scandiva. Overreach, the winner of the $3.64 million Golden Slipper Stakes on April 6, could only finish third as the 7-20 favorite.