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Home » Blog » An Insiders Look at Black Caviar: The Dark Horse That Brought the Racing Community Alive

An Insiders Look at Black Caviar: The Dark Horse That Brought the Racing Community Alive

In competitive sports, an outstanding champion will ignite plenty of cheers from the crowd and remind spectators and enthusiasts of the sport’s vibrant spirit. When it comes to horse racing, the concept is no different, and from time to time we watch from the sidelines as a particularly competitive horse wows us with their performance and unprecedented wins. Black Caviar is a name that is widely known in the horse racing world, and for very good reason. Here’s an insider look on the dark horse whose undefeated epic wins, strong stamina, and out-of-this-world performance had the racing world on its feet.

Black-Caviar

The Unprecedented Career of Black Caviar

March 30, 2009 began as a typical day at a trial horse race in Cranbourne, and was a time well before anyone had any clue who Black Caviar was. It was the horse’s first public trial. The two year old filly took the win on this day by five lengths, marking the beginning of a 25-0 racing career that would ensue with jockey Luke Nolen. Black Caviar’s official racetrack debut took place on Saturday, April 18, 2009 at Flemington Racecourse, where she took the cup amongst other two year olds, surpassing Kwassa Kwassa and crossing the finishing line first at 56.63 seconds. Her second race, when she won the Blue Sapphire Stakes at Caulfield by five lengths, wowed many in the stands and may have officially put her on the map as a champion. These two wins as a two year old were evidently enough to get her career started on the right hoof, and her following year as a three year old started with another win by four lengths, and continued on with her second win this year at the Danehill Stakes at Flemington, stumbling at the start but going on to beat the colt Wanted by less than one length. After recovering from a chest muscle injury, Black Caviar hit the tracks again as she competed against the older racers in the Group 2 Australia Stakes at Moonee Valley, winning again by 2.5 lengths. 2010 saw four more wins for Black Caviar, and her four-year-old season officially began in October of that year. By 2011, Black Caviar was still undefeated, and during the course of that year the magnanimous competitor doubled her previous year’s record, ultimately winning eight races. In 2012, Black Caviar brought in six more undefeated wins, including the June 23 Diamond Jubilee Stakes win at Ascot, England, which involved a 30 hour flight from Australia. In 2013, Black Caviar finished in her final year quietly, taking in two more wins before achieving her final success at the T. J. Smith Stakes at Randwick. Black Caviar’s undefeated success record of 25-0 is something that no race horse has been able to achieve in over 100 years.

The Champion’s Background

Boasting such an overwhelmingly successful career, and total career earnings just shy of $8 million, Black Caviar attracted much attention from breeders and bettors who wanted to know why she was such a champion – and how to duplicate her amazing results with other horses. Black Caviar was the first filly of dam Helsinge, the daughter of Desert Sun who also sired the New Zealand champion Sunline. Black Caviar was sired by the winner of the Doomben 10,000, Bel Esprit, making her a half-sister to Bel Mar, the mare who took the 2009 Robert Sangster Stakes. Born on August 18, 2006 at 5:20 AM, Black Caviar’s first home was at Gilgai Farm in Nagambie, Victoria. Her first year was spent at this property along Goulburn River before she moved to Swettenham Stud in December of 2007 to begin her training. After this 10 week preparation program, Peter Moody purchased Black Caviar for $210,000. It is clear that champions run in the family, and Black Caviar’s half-brother is All Too Hard, the champion of the All Aged Stakes, Futurity Stakes, and C F Orr Stakes in 2013. Black Caviar is also a descendent of the broodmare Pinprick, and other classic winners in the family include Ambiguity and Sodium.

Black Caviar’s Retirement and New Career

Interestingly enough, Black Caviar’s birthday actually put her at a disadvantage, as she was often racing against horses that were older than her, and therefore the other horses tended to be larger, faster, and more experienced. Her unprecedented performance, high stamina, and strong determination, however, kept her in the lead for 25 races in a row even if she stumbled at the starting line. With fans around the world continuously awed by her wins, her eventual retirement was bittersweet. Black Caviar’s retirement was announced on April 17, 2013, when it was decided that 25 was a great number to end on. As it turns out, though, it wasn’t the end for Black Caviar. It was the beginning of a less intense, though equally important, career. On October 24, 2013 it was announced that the champion was to mate with Exceed And Excel, and Black Caviar is due to give birth this spring. Though her life-sized brass statue stands in the town of Nagambie, it’s clear that fans will soon have much more to remember the illustrious winner by, and perhaps her offspring will be yet another undefeated champion. Champions of the most loved sports around the world have a tendency to pull on the heart strings of the avid fans who wave from the crowds. The stories that are created by their epic wins are one that are never forgotten, and the lessons they teach about persistence, performance, and practice never go unnoticed. To be a champion of a sport is to be a leader of a way of life, and when it comes to horse racing, the rule is no different. Black Caviar is most certainly a champion, a leader, and a legend in the world of horse racing and in the hearts of horse race lovers around the world.