(ANDREW BENSLEY is a leading commentator with Sky Racing and Sky Sports Radio.)

Champion mare Black Caviar appears set for an identical spring carnival campaign to last year according to trainer, Peter Moody.

Kicking off with the Schillaci Stakes before tackling the Schweppes Stakes, her last run during the carnival is likely to be, at this stage, the Patinack Farm Classic.

Last year she swept all three races and it would be a brave person to suggest that she couldn't do it again.

The fact that she is running in the spring also heightens the expectations of a clash with champion sprinter Rocket Man, whose trainer Patrick Shaw is considering a spring campaign.

The champion has not run since her win in the BTC Cup at Doomben in May, her 13th straight victory. 

Looking a little further forward and Moody said connections of the unbeaten mare had Royal Ascot in their sights.

A crack at the Kings Stand or Golden Jubilee next season is being placed high on the priorities list but there's still plenty of water to flow under the bridge before that happens.

Moody's season, meanwhile, goes from strength to strength and the milestone of 100 winners in the Victorian Metro Trainers premiership remains firmly on his radar.

He is currently stranded on 98.5 and well clear of Mark Kavanagh who is on 38.

Moody only has a couple of meetings left to break the 100 barrier but I highly doubt that he'll be stuck in the ‘nervous 90s'.

He's had a brilliant season and already captured the Victorian State Trainers premiership, with the metro title to be the icing on the cake of another wonderful term of racing.

***** 

MOST of the premierships around the country have been pretty much settled but the metro prems in South Australia look set to go down to the wire.

In the jockeys premiership, Paul Gatt has a five win lead over Claire Lindop and is probably long odds-on to maintain his lead, however, stranger things have happened in racing and Lindop shouldn't be discounted.

The trainers division is far tighter with a colossal three-way tussle for top honours.

Mark Kavanagh and John Thompson sit atop of the standings on 34 wins each, while David Jolly is sitting just off them on 32.

There is sure to be plenty of intrigue, both on and off the track, with just a couple of meetings left to decide the respective titles.

***** 

THE powerhouse stables of Gai Waterhouse and John O'Shea were in action at the Randwick trials earlier in the week.

Metropolitan winner Herculian Prince took out a trial narrowly for Waterhouse, narrowly defeating stablemate Go With The Flo. Waterhouse also had a couple of two and three-year-old trial winners on the day.

Foxwedge, from the O'Shea yard, was impressive in winning his trial as he attempts to make a comeback to racing in the coming weeks.

O'Shea has earmarked the Golden Rose on September 10 as the main target for the son of Fastnet Rock.