The Moonee Valley Racing Club has backed a winner with its innovative 55 Second Challenge this season.  Consisting of 18 Heats, the Challenge is being staged throughout the night racing season to find the quickest horse over 955m.

The trainer of the horse running the fastest time will receive a $50,000 Mazda CX9 Classic from Essendon Mazda while the jockey will collect $10,000.  
The 55 Second Challenge has attracted roving trainer Stephen Brown and his brilliant sprinter Canali.  

Canali (4g Exceed And Excel – Angora by Barathea) began his career with Bart Cummings in Sydney and has since won races in Adelaide, Darwin and Perth.  He scored a slick front-running victory in the Listed Summer Scorcher at Ascot on New Year’s Day.

His time in the Scorcher was a sizzling 56.89s for 1000m.

“I’ve been thinking about taking Canali over to Melbourne,” Brown said.  “There are no 1000m races available in Perth and the Moonee Valley Series goes through until March.”

The 55 second barrier hasn’t been broken yet, however, three sprinters have come close and they are all by Eliza Park sire Bel Esprit.

La Bella Roo (5m Bel Esprit – La Trio by Manntari) has been the fastest so far clocking 55.48 seconds to win Heat 9 on New Year’s Eve.  She is trained by Peter Boynton at Bendigo for members of the Kangaroo Flat Bowling Club.

Waltzes (5g Bel Esprit – Dance The Music by Picnicker) is next best with a mark of 55.62 seconds set on October 29.  He is a Slade Bloodstock rep and is from a half-sister to Magic Music (Loosen Up) who was a G2 winner of the 1999 Schweppes Stakes at Moonee Valley.  At one stage, she also held the 1200m track record there with a time of 1:10.44s.

Esprit de Bullet (5g Bel Esprit – Beat The Bullet by Bite The Bullet) is third on the 55 Second Challenge leader-board after recording 55.75 seconds on December 3.  He is a half-brother to G1 VRC Oaks winner Hollow Bullet (Tayasu Tsuyoshi) and LR VRC Ottawa Stakes winner Red Hot Mama (General Nediym).

Meanwhile, Bel Esprit champion Black Caviar will return to racing in the G1 Lightning Stakes (1000m) at Flemington on February 19.  Trainer Moody will keep the flying mare to weight-for-age events except for a second-up assignment in the G1 Newmarket Handicap (1200m) at Flemington on March 12.

After the Newmarket, Black Caviar will then contest the William Reid Stakes (1200m) at Moonee Valley before going interstate for the T.J. Smith Stakes (1200m) at Royal Randwick on April 10.  She will then head north for the BTC Cup (1200m) and Doomben 10,000 (1350m) during the Brisbane winter carnival.

Black Caviar (4m Bel Esprit – Helsinge by Desert Sun) is unbeaten after 8 starts and was last seen winning the G1 Patinack Farm Classic at Flemington on the last day of the Melbourne Cup carnival.  

Bel Esprit has five yearlings catalogued for the Gold Coast Magic Millions next week.  Heading the draft is the half-sister to G3 Sydney winner Patronyme (Lot 117) and the sister to G1 SAJC Robert Sangster Stakes winner Bel Mer (Lot 130).