Black Caviar wins the Diamond Jubilee Australian superstar Black Caviar stretched her unbeaten record to 22 with a dramatic victory in the Diamond Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot. The 1-6 favourite was always travelling strongly under Luke Nolen and went to the front with two furlongs to run. She took a couple of lengths out of the field at that point but the French pair Moonlight Cloud (5-1) and Restiadargent (40-1) began to charge home. They had closed to within half-a-length when Nolen seemed to relax aboard the eventual winner and he was more animated at the line by which time Black Caviar had held on by a head and a neck with Moonlight Cloud claiming the forecast spot. A sheepish Nolen accepted he had misjudged his challenge at the line. He said: "I underestimated the testing track of Ascot. She'd had enough and that big engine throttled right down. "It's unfortunate, because we're going to talk more about my brain failure than the horse's fantastic effort. We won, but it may have overshadowed what was a fantastic effort by the horse. We got away with it." Winning trainer Peter Moody refused to condemn Nolen, and instead revelled in the adulation of Black Caviar winning yet another race. He said: "You've only got to win by a quarter of an inch - we got the job done. We never expect dominance - we never ask her for dominance - we are extremely proud of her. I'm an extremely proud Aussie. It's very fitting that it's with a horse like this." Moody later hinted that the mare might be retired:- "She'll go into quarantine now, so let's get her home," he said. "This was always going to be the greatest risk of her career and for the last five or six runs we've always been prepared it might be her last. "Hopefully that's not the case today but if she's as tired and worn out when she gets home she may have graced the track for the final time. "I won't hesitate in any shape or form, but let's not put the cart before the horse. It's just a shame your public haven't seen as great a filly as she is. She's not going to improve from here on in as she's a six-year-old by your time, five by ours, but I'm so proud of her." Black Caviar was later inspected by the on-course vets and given the all-clear. Freddie Head, trainer of Moonlight Cloud, said: "One more stride and we would have won. I think we will now head for the Prix Maurice de Gheest at Deauville, and I don't think we will return here for the July Cup (at Newmarket). "I love this filly, she is a darling and she will make a lovely broodmare one day." Her rider Thierry Jarnet said: "She was superb, she ran so well and was gaining and gaining." Fellow French trainer Henri-Alex Pantall was also thrilled with the effort of the unheralded Restiadargent,in third. He said: "I am so happy with this filly because I would have settled for coming fourth or fifth, so this is a bonus. She is still very green and was a three-year-old against older horses, which makes the run even more commendable. "She is only a baby, but I would not be frightened of taking on Moonlight Cloud again in the Maurice de Gheest."
