I was lying in bed last night having just watched a show on Australian sprinters, when it occurred to me that it might be time to assess the career of Black Caviar, having allowed sometime for all the nonsense to subside.
I picked out the main sprinters of the last 50 years (although some will consider that I’ve missed one or two) and decided on a set of criteria and gave a value to each of these criteria.
I understand that this is totally subjective and both criteria and value are up for debate, but I’m sure most of the criteria would appear in anyone’s assessment. It would be the importance given that would be the debate.
Of note is that I’ve rewarded horses that have won Group 1s outside the sprinting distances (1000-1400 metres) and horses that have been dominant (expressed in either margins or times).
Also, if horses have shown an ability to rise above injury or carry big weights then that was rewarded also.
Anyway, the final assessments are below. I’m happy to give the reasoning behind every rating on a case by case basis.
| Name | G1% | SR% | Versatility | Longevity | Dominance | Variance | Bar raising | Total |
| Black Caviar | 60 | 100 | 10 | 25 | 20 | 10 | 10 | 235 |
| Vain | 85 | 50 | 20 | 14 | 20 | 7.5 | 20 | 216.5 |
| Manikato | 23 | 61 | 20 | 47 | 10 | 7.5 | 20 | 188.5 |
| Luskin Star | 41 | 76 | 10 | 17 | 20 | 7.5 | 5 | 176.5 |
| Takeover Target | 19 | 52 | 10 | 41 | 5 | 10 | 20 | 156 |
| Placid Ark | 33 | 66 | 10 | 21 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 145 |
| Miss Andretti | 16 | 61 | 10 | 31 | 5 | 10 | 10 | 143 |
| Baguette | 22 | 48 | 20 | 31 | 5 | 7.5 | 5 | 138.5 |
| Squillaci | 22 | 44 | 10 | 36 | 10 | 7.5 | 5 | 134.5 |
| Apache Cat | 18 | 44 | 10 | 43 | 5 | 7.5 | 5 | 132.5 |
G1%: Percentage of Group 1 wins from total races ran
SR%: Percentage of wins from total races ran
Versatility: Distances won at (marked out of 20)
Longevity: Races won
Dominance: Margins won by. Times recorded (marked out of 20)
Variance: Different locations won at (marked out of 10)
Bar raising: ability to meet challenges e.g. weight, injury (marked out of 20)
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