Racing Victoria chief handicapper says Black Caviar ran 15 ratings points below her best in Diamond Jubilee Stakes

25-06-2012

Michael Manley From: Herald Sun June 25, 2012 3:29pm

RACING Victoria chief handicapper Greg Carpenter estimates that Black Caviar ran almost 15 rating points below her best when victorious in the Diamond Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot.

"Obviously she raced many lengths below her peak rating and now we know there were reasons for that. At the moment she's rated at 130 and she rated 115 in winning the Diamond Jubilee Stakes,'' Carpenter said.

"Her last 15 runs she's been rated at 120 plus so she was a long way from her top.''

Carpenter said former Australian galloper Soul who finished a length and a half from Black Caviar ran to his rating of 113 yet got close to her.

"We know what he is capable of from his Australian runs and he's stayed at the same level running in the Middle East and in England and he carried a kilo and a half more than her.''

Carpenter said the performance won't affect Black Caviar's rating of 130 in the World Thoroughbred Rankings which is set by the International panel of handicappers.

"Her rating probably won't change as it won't be a high rating race,'' he said.

Carpenter said Black Caviar had rated as high as 132 but was now at 130.

"Hopefully we will see her again in the spring perform to her usual standard,'' he said.

Carpenter said the French mare Midnight Cloud was the second highest rated performer in the field on turf with a rating of 118.

Carpenter said Frankel's eleven length win in the Queen Anne Stakes would take his rating from 138 to 140.

He said that was the biggest rating since the World Thoroughbred rankings came in ten years ago.

Before that the ratings were done by a panel of European handicappers and the highest rated horse before that was Dancing Brave in 1986 who achieved a rating of 141.