Black Caviar. If the eyes are the window to the soul..... Photo: Steve Hart Photography
Racing is often described as a game of numbers. If you breed enough, train enough, and race enough, some will be successful. At a time when the sport is becoming increasingly scientific, it seems so often forgotten what truly makes a great horse. Nutrition has improved, training facilities are better, and yet our thoroughbreds are generally not becoming any faster.
Black Caviar retired on Wednesday with a perfect record, defeating every horse she ever raced from 25 starts. She was born on the 18th of August, 2006, and showed no early signs of being special. Her uneven forelegs raised doubts about her conformation, her dam Helsinge had never raced, and she was sold by “hobby breeder” Rick Jamieson for $210,000.
Yet, as a young Black Caviar settled into the stables at Moody Racing, it became clear that this horse had something that few possess. If the eyes are the window to the soul, then Black Caviar had a destined conviction to win. And win she did, not narrowly, but utterly tearing the field to shreds.
With a faultless record including 15 Group 1 wins, Black Caviar’s triumph is unprecedented. The 2012 Diamond Jubilee Stakes at Ascot will perhaps be her most remembered race. The British may chuckle in a way that only the British can about how close they came but even at her worst Black Caviar still defeated the world’s best. British-bred runner-up Moonlight Cloud went on to win two French Group 1’s that year, the first by five lengths over a 1300m track. Eventers, like all riders, know that horses have bad days; few horses still get the job done.
Of the famous horses in thoroughbred racing, many represent a story more than pure domination on the track. Phar Lap was Australia’s wonder horse that fell victim to the Great Depression, whilst Seabiscuit was the underdog that brought hope to America. People were prepared to bet on these horses and small fortunes were made. Black Caviar gave no one the chance, becoming so unbackable that the age old saying “better than bank interest” was challenged.
The story of this mare will be remembered as Australia’s greatest racing achievement. Both bred and trained here, the Kiwis can’t claim this one. Even Makybe Diva, who escaped for Australia at just two years old, is still remembered as much for her British breeding as Australian training. With America having historic legends of the sport like Man o’War and Secretariat, and the UK producing horses like Frankel, Australia’s Black Caviar is amongst this calibre of thoroughbreds to be remembered as the best there ever were.
So what is it that makes these horses special? Regardless of discipline, it so often seems to be the unexpected ones that change our lives. Hickstead was too small to be a jumper, Seabiscuit too lazy to race. They don’t just understand their job, they’re wholly committed to it. Some horses have it, some don’t. Black Caviar had it.
Article by James Baillie
