Racing: Royal Ascot top priority

Black Caviar will bypass the Futurity Stakes at Caulfield on Saturday and have an easy time for the next two months.

Black Caviar, who is unbeaten in 19 starts, has the Diamond Jubilee Stakes (1200m) at Royal Ascot on June 23 as her mission.

"There's nothing wrong with her," Peter Moody, her trainer, said. "But it's all geared around having her at her peak when she flies to England.

"I'm looking to give Black Caviar her shot at stretching her winning streak to 20 in either Adelaide or Brisbane before we head away.

"Either way, she will have two and a-half weeks back at my Caulfield stables before flying to England, three weeks before the Diamond Jubilee."

Nash Rawiller has been engaged to ride Mufhasa in the Futurity Stakes (1400m). Mufhasa travelled by air from Auckland to Melbourne yesterday.

Mufhasa, as King Mufhasa, won the group one Toorak Handicap (1600m) at Caulfield in October with Michael Rodd the rider the last time he raced in Australia.

His trainer, Stephen McKee, won races with Tristacat and Pinzaara at Dargaville yesterday.

Tristacat, who cleared maiden ranks, is the last foal of Our Tristalight, the dam of Danske (New Zealand Two Thousand Guineas and Great Northern Guineas and successful sire) and Eagle Rhythm (Cranbourne and Victoria Cups). Tristacat is a 5yr-old gelding by One Cool Cat.

Shopaholic, winner of the gr three The Vanity at Flemington last Saturday, is a rival for Anabandana in the Angus Armanasco Stakes on Saturday.

Shopaholic (Pins-Splashing Out) is raced by Garry Chittick, of the Waikato Stud, and trained by Danny O'Brien at Flemington.

Chittick was represented at the presentation for The Vanity by friends Grant and Philippa McKenzie, of Wyndham.

The McKenzies were in Melbourne to see Rod Stewart and Black Caviar. Chittick arranged tickets to attend the race meeting.

The McKenzies have raced several horses including Zablinka, winner of the Wakefield Stakes at Trentham, and The Meista (Canterbury Gold Cup).

"I never dreamt that on our first trip to Flemington we would see Black Caviar win one of her best or end up on the dais accepting a trophy and sipping Champagne in the president's lounge," Grant McKenzie said.

Shopaholic is the first foal of Splashing Out (O'Reilly-Iguazu), who won a gr three race at Caulfield and the Princess Stakes at Eagle Farm.

• Eagle Mountain, the gr one Hong Kong Cup winner at Sha Tin, has his first race for McKee in the Otaki Stakes on Saturday.

The 8yr-old Eagle Mountain was returned to training after fertility issues at stud. He left six foals from his first season in 2010 at Brighthill Farm, Hamilton. Studmaster Nick King said Eagle Mountain had left one mare in foal from matings last spring.

Eagle Mountain, owned by Sheik Mohammed Al Maktoum, has not raced since February, 2010 when he finished third in Dubai. He won the Hong Kong Cup (2000m) as a 4yr-old when he also won a gr three mile at Newmarket. He won at gr two level at The Curragh at two and three.

Eagle Mountain finished third in a 1000m trial at Ellerslie on February 7 when ridden by Leith Innes, who has the mount on Saturday.

- additional reporting by AAP