Black Caviar: Part 1
Black Caviar, an Australian thoroughbred is a horse that means business. The brown mare has already found favour with the IFHA as the number one rated sprinter of all time in the World Thoroughbred Rankings.
With over $2 million in the kitty that comes from 11 victories from 11 starts, there is no stopping Black Caviar who has no regard for her opposition, beating Golden Slipper winner Crystal Lilly in her latest outing in the William Reid Stakes at Moonee Valley Racecourse.
There has been many top-notch racehorses to blaze the Australian turf with Phar Lap, Lonhro, Makybe Diva, Carbine, Super Impose, and many more. However, the one to be officially rated the world's best and fastest sprinter is Melbourne racehorse, Black Caviar.
According to the international rankings for 2011, Black Caviar is invincible.
Since the International Federations of Horse Authorities (IFHA) began the World Thoroughbred Rankings (WTR) in 2002, Black Caviar has become the highest-rated sprinter and Australian horse.
The WTR considers performances of horses in all racing jurisdictions worldwide.
Black Caviar has eclipsed Oasis Dream's ranking as the highest-rated sprinter in 2003 by five points to earn 130 points, the highest ever so far.
Black Caviar's March 12, 2011 victory in the International Federations of Horse Authorities at Flemington was rated as the best performance by a thoroughbred around the globe for the six-month period from October 1, 2010 to March 27, 2011. Thanks to an unbeatable streak of 10 wins from 10 starts, Black Caviar's Newmarket Handicap triumph earned her a 130-point rating.
Several winners at US Breeders' Cup, Dubai World Cup, Arc de Triomphe, and Hong Kong International meetings have not been able to catch up with the mare.
Foaled in August 2006 at the Swettenham Stud, Black Caviar comes from a strong lineage sired by the winner of the Doomben 10,000 sprint Bel Espirit, out of Helsinge by Desert Sun.
The mare was sold at the Inglis Melbourne Premier yearling sales for AUD 210,000.
Bred by Mr. R. Jamieson, Black Caviar is trained by Peter Moody.
The mare's major victories have been in the VRC Patinack Farm Classic in 2010 and the VCR Newmarket Handicap and VRC Lightning Stakes. She remains undefeated now with the Group 1 weight-for-age $500,000 William Reid Stakes adding to her eleventh straight victory. Among the other major victories includes the MVRC 3-year-old race for Fillies, VRC Danehill Stakes, MVRC Australia Stakes, MRC Schillaci Stakes, and the MVRC Schweppes Stakes.
Gary Wilkie and his syndicate remains the owner of the world's best racehorse, who never imagined in their wildest dreams that Black Caviar would reach such heights. Adding to her reputation is the record of the second-fastest sprint in recorded history at Flemington.
The mare's owners include seven from Melbourne and one from Sydney. Co-owner David Taylor's wife Jill wasn't too keen on the investment on an unknown filly but has plenty to rejoice with each victory which has made the syndicate richer by $2,299,250.
Melbourne 's racing fraternity is simply mesmerized by Black Caviar's runs in the last six months, running 200 meters in 11 seconds.
With Luke Nolen in the saddle, the mare seems to have no competition to speak of on the Australian racetracks. However, for trainer Peter Moody, the mare's routine is similar to all the other horses under his wing.
As a young horse, Black Caviar's speed and strength caused her to suffer recurring chest and lower-leg injuries, which strapper Donna Fisher remedied by keeping her moving. Not a horse to be pampered before a race, the mare certainly means business every time she is out on the tracks.
According to her jockey Nolen, Black Caviar's speed and strength is evident in the middle stages of a race, which makes a win with relative ease.
May be the mare's secret is in her laid back attitude where nothing worries her or fazes her at all. That's what trainer Moody says about her success.
Black Caviar Part 2
In March 2011, the formidable sprinter, Black Caviar, had already won 11 races from 11 starts with her connections becoming richer by over $2 million after her victory in the Group 1 William Reid Stakes at Moonee Valley over her favourite distance of 1200 metres.
Almost a year on, the 5 year old mare hasn't given up her winning ways with a record 19 wins from 19 starts. Nothing can seem to stop her from winning and that too, winning convincingly by huge margins of up to six lengths.
The only horse to come closest within 0.8 lengths of the mare was Wanted, in the Group 2 Danehill Stakes over 1200m of the Flemington Racetrack in September 2009. By the end of the Group 1 Coolmore Lightning Stakes over 1000m at Flemington in February 2012, Black Caviar made it clear that she had no intentions of giving up on her winning streak while making her connections richer by AUS $5,153,550.
Earlier in January 2012, trainer Peter Moody so rightly predicted that the 5 year old world champion sprinter may still be improving. Her trainer has always believed that she would blaze the tracks as a five year old. Moody went on to humbly add that either Black Caviar would prove him to be a genius or a mug. True enough, a month later Moody has the right to be called a genius, plotting and planning the mare's schedule before heading for the Royal Ascot later in June. Now that she has proved she is good enough to step up to 1400m by winning the Group 1 CF Orr Stakes at Caulfield Racecourse in mid February 2012, there is no guessing what surprises the mare has in store for the racing fraternity.
Jockey Luke Nolen is as confident about Black Caviar as trainer Moody, rightly predicting that she would adapt easily to 1400m at Caulfield. Nolen remembers the words of trainer Jim Conlan when he was a junior jockey. Conlan claimed that any horse with the ability to run strongly up the1200m straight at Flemington would be best suited at 1400m, and Black Caviar proved Conlan right. So, is it really her mature muscles and healthy coat that hints at her being at her physical peak? It may be so, although credit must go to trainer Moody and jockey Luke Nolen for forming a formidable trio.
Recently, Black Caviar's rating jumped another spot from 135 to 136 after Hay List, rated 132, won the Group 1 Lexus Newmarket Handicap over 1200m at Flemington with a topweight of 58.5 kg. This has made the world champion the equal highest-rated filly or mare in the history of Timeform, the other horse being Habibti, a British sprinter in the 1980s and Allez France , a French filly who was the first to set the record in the 1970s.
Right now, Black Caviar is preparing under Peter Moody's watchful eyes for Royal Ascot. While he fancied a run in Adelaide in May in search of her 20th consecutive win, rumours are abuzz that we might see the champion sprinter earlier at the Sportingbet Classic at Morphettville Racecourse at the end of April or the Goodwood Handicap a fortnight later on the same track.
There is no doubt that racegoers can't get enough of the wily sprinter. Michael Wright, the former racing minister, desires to make South Australia the first state to name a race in honour of Black Caviar, hosted by the SAJC. According to Wright, horses like Black Caviar are few and far between and come around once in a generation. In the meantime, the lil' beauty has nothing but good wishes from everyone and is guaranteed to have a ‘royal' time at Royal Ascot in June.
To Be Continued....