It was a vastly different looking Black Caviar that strode into Caulfield today than the one racing fans saw seven months ago in the UK and trainer Peter Moody couldn't be happier with that."What we wanted to see was her happy in this environment. Last time we saw her at Ascot, there's no kidding ourselves, she wasn't. She was off the boil, swishing her tail, turning her head, a bit off in the coat," Moody said."You saw here today. She's bright, she's happy, she's healthy, she wan

It was a vastly different looking Black Caviar that strode into Caulfield today than the one racing fans saw seven months ago in the UK and trainer Peter Moody couldn't be happier with that.

"What we wanted to see was her happy in this environment. Last time we saw her at Ascot, there's no kidding ourselves, she wasn't. She was off the boil, swishing her tail, turning her head, a bit off in the coat," Moody said.

"You saw here today. She's bright, she's happy, she's healthy, she wanted to be out there.

"I was just pleased to see her out on the track like she belonged there, that's what you wanted to see, there was no negativity in her whatsoever."

Moody and an adoring contingent of fans had just watched Australia's undefeated champion in an exhibition gallop over 800-metres, her first public appearance since posting win 22 in the Diamond Jubilee Stakes on 23 June.

With race jockey Luke Nolen in the saddle, she quickened up over the last 400 metres and looked a bigger and more imposing animal than when she last graced the racetrack.

"The break has done her the world of good," Moody declared. "It scares me a little, but this is the best she's prepped up in a couple of years because we've never had this much spell, this much base to work off."

With her hulking frame and dynamic speed, the six-year-old mare has battled niggling injuries throughout her illustrious career, but Moody is gleaming about her current condition.

"The wear and tear that she was suffering in her previous preparations has disappeared. Her feet have grown out nice, her muscles are great and her knees and joints, she's not carrying any heat," he said.

"That will come as the preparation comes on, we're not kidding ourselves, but at this point, off the back of that break, she's feeling the best she has for a couple of years."

After months of debate as to whether she'd run her last race, stable confidence is growing that there's plenty of life left in the champ's legs, although Moody was diplomatic when discussing what lay ahead during autumn.

"At this point it's a one start campaign and how she performs on that day dictates if and where she goes onto," he said.

That 'one start' is the Group 1 $500,000 Black Caviar Lightning (1000m) at Flemington on 16 February, the race she's won for the past two years and that now carries her name in recognition of her record-breaking deeds.

"It will really come down to how she handles that day. If she scrambles in for a win, you'd think s**t the opposition is getting a bit close and I'm sure myself, along with the owners, we'd never want to risk defeat if that's possible, but we're all racing people and we know that happens," Moody said.

"But if she comes out and wins like the Black Caviar of old, by four or five lengths and runs a scintillating time and pulls up kicking her brands off, well then we can start looking at options, but until that happens we'll just concentrate solely on 14 days time."

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