The world's highest-rated sprinter Black Caviar will equal a modern-day weight-carrying record if she wins the $1 million Newmarket Handicap at Flemington on Saturday week.The Peter Moody-trained superstar mare received topweight of 58kg for the 1200m feature sprint.The 1991 winner Shaftesbury Avenue (58kg) is the only winner in the last 50 years to carry 58kg or more, while the only mare to win the Newmarket as topweight was Maybe Mahal who carried 56.5kg in 1978.The only mare to win with more
The world's highest-rated sprinter Black Caviar will equal a modern-day weight-carrying record if she wins the $1 million Newmarket Handicap at Flemington on Saturday week.
The Peter Moody-trained superstar mare received topweight of 58kg for the 1200m feature sprint.
The 1991 winner Shaftesbury Avenue (58kg) is the only winner in the last 50 years to carry 58kg or more, while the only mare to win the Newmarket as topweight was Maybe Mahal who carried 56.5kg in 1978.
The only mare to win with more than 58kg was Pendant who carried 9st 7lb (60.5kg) when she won the 1906 Newmarket.
Black Caviar will set a record of 10 successive wins on city tracks from the start of a career if she wins the Newmarket.
"Black Caviar was rated the world champion sprinter in 2010 and she demonstrated that she has improved further when she resumed with a totally dominant performance in the Lightning Stakes at Flemington on February 19," Racing Victoria senior handicapper Neil Jennings said.
"That was her second consecutive Group One victory and on each occasion she has defeated many of her rivals in the Newmarket Handicap by significant margins which had to be considered when determining the handicaps.
"In the Lightning Stakes she was eased down to defeat Hay List by 3-1/4 lengths under weight-for-age conditions.
"Hay List receives a 3.5kg turnaround in weights for the Newmarket as a result and will carry 56.5kg.
"Similarly she defeated three-year-old Star Witness by four lengths in the Group One Patinack Farm Classic at her previous start in the spring under weight-for-age conditions.
"With 58kg in the Newmarket, Black Caviar will carry 1.5kg over weight-for-age, while Star Witness with 53kg is set to carry 3kg less than weight-for-age for a three-year-old."
Hay List, Group One winner of the Manikato Stakes (1200m) at Moonee Valley last September, is the second highest-weighted horse of the 44 first acceptors in the Newmarket.
Dual Group One winner Star Witness, whose only beaten run down the Flemington straight was his second to Black Caviar, is the highest-weighted three-year-old in the race and carries 1.5kg more than three-year-old colt Wanted carried to win the race last year.
Star Witness will be retired to stand at Widden Stud in the Hunter Valley after an international campaign aimed at Royal Ascot in June.
Last Saturday's Group One Oakleigh Plate (1100m) winner Eagle Falls received 55kg which is 2.5kg more than he carried when second to Wanted 12 months ago.
Group One-winning mare Response, a luckless seventh in the Oakleigh Plate, received 52kg, talented Peter Snowden-trained mare Beaded 52.5kg and three-year-old Decision Time, an impressive winner under 60.5kg at Rosehill last Saturday, 50.5kg.