ASCOT, England // Black Caviar will face just 14 rivals today in the Diamond Jubilee at the Royal Meeting as the Australian star bids to extend her unbeaten record to 22 victories.
Ortensia, Bated Breath and Whizz Kid were not confirmed at Friday's final declaration stage after their runs in Tuesday's King's Stand Stakes. Aidan O'Brien's Crusade also misses the race.
Peter Moody, Black Caviar's trainer, reported that the world's best sprinter remained on course for the Global Sprint Challenge event and that his six-year-old mare was in the best form for some time after a final canter earlier this week.
"I've been very pleased by how she has progressed," Moody said. "Her work brought her along a little bit and allowed me to look at her action. Physically, she is the fittest I've had her for two years. I can't fault her."
After Ortensia's ninth-place finish on Tuesday suggestions have been made that Australian form does not stand up to scrutiny. Moody dismissed those claims, suggesting that Ortensia's victory in the Al Quoz Sprint at Meydan may have been the reason for the mare's poor showing here.
"The reason we didn't want to go to Dubai is because we didn't want Black Caviar away from home for such a long period," Moody said in an interview with an Australian radio station.
"Maybe Ortensia had done her job. Paul [Messara] suggested she went into the race a bit big because of the nine weeks between runs. I don't think you can read too much into comparative form lines between Black Caviar and Ortensia.
"I am cocky enough to suggest that Black Caviar would have given them a good towelling in the King's Stand."
Black Caviar has been drawn on the inside rail, in stall 15, on the stands' side of the track. Krypton Factor, the Dubai Golden Shaheen winner, will emerge from the fourth gate.
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