Black Caviar was one of the finest sprinters ever seen

Trained by Peter Moody and ridden to 22 of her 25 wins by Luke Nolan, Black Caviar is without a question one of the greatest racehorses of the modern era. It is always tough to compare horses from different generations and sprinters to stayers but there are very few in the sport who would not have her at the very top of the pyramid.

Special from day one

Costing $210,000 at the Melbourne Premier Sales, Black Caviar was not a horse that had the best confirmation. It led to issues throughout her career with her legs but Moody proved to be a master with her, as he is now with I Wish I Win whose own leg issues have been well documented. 

A $3 shot on her debut at Flemington on April 18 2009, that was the only time in her career that Black Caviar would start bigger than $2. She was a horse that the horse racing bookmakers feared because even at short prices, punters would pile in knowing that she would be almost impossible to beat. 

It was Jarrad Noske who was tasked with that debut ride as well as the Listed success on her second start. Luke Nolan would take over and form the famous partnership for the majority of her career. It was not Nolan who would ride her to her first Group 1 success though in the 2010 Patinack Farm Classic, that job fell to Ben Melham. 

Black Caviar’s Group 1 domination

Saluting in 15 Group 1s is a remarkable feat. There are only a couple of horses in the history of horse racing who have more, one of whom is Winx. It was career start number eight when she ran in her first Group 1 and it was then that she took off.

The autumn prep of 2011 will go down as one of the finest ever seen. Five runs in a 12-week span, all in Group 1 company and at four different tracks. The first of those was the Lightning Stakes, a race that she would win on three occasions in her career. She would also pick up the first of her two William Reid and TJ Smith wins in this prep.

Perhaps her most famous win around the world came the sole time she raced outside of Australia. The 2012 Golden Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot saw her put international stardom on the line. She delivered, just, but it was the race where the rest of the world started to understand just who Black Caviar was.

The Legacy of Black Caviar

She would be retired to the paddocks where she produced nine foals. Five of those have raced with Invincible Caviar the best. The success on the track has not been there for her offspring but they were always going to have a tough task to live up to their dam.

In general, her early progeny have become broodmares themselves. Despite not having success on track, the genes make them special. There are still three who we have yet to see. Peter Moody has a three-year-old filly called Persian Caviar and there are The Autumn Sun and Snitzel youngsters to follow along in the next couple of years. Let’s hope one of them gives us goosebumps just like their mum did when she ran.

There are special individuals who transcend sport. Black Caviar was one of those. Racehorses simply don’t go 25 starts unbeaten in their career, but she did. Without a doubt one of the finest to ever race. Vale Black Caviar.