Black Caviar doing the unthinkable off the track

Black Caviar’s racetrack deeds have become legendry, 14 wins from 14 starts, but is it what she’s responsible for off the track that should propel her to freakish status in the Australian Racing Industry.

Since the privatisation of the TAB in 1994 racing has become a 7 day a week, 363 day long slog fest measured by KPI’S determined by stony faced accountants rather than by industry participants.

Outside of feature race days few thought we would ever see crowds flock to the racetrack again and even fewer thought they would turn up to see a racehorse.

Black Caviar though has done this and remarkably she will never race in the glamour events such as the Melbourne Cup, Cox Plate or Golden Slipper. Indeed on most occasions events contested by Black Caviar act as the undercard.

Australian racing is considered to be a haven for sprinters as owners and multi-national stud farms look to cash in on the perception that all the big bucks are made from speedy two and three year old sprinter-milers.

Whilst young sprinter-milers are well catered for, the prize-money on offer for older horses doesn’t befit the status of a horse like Black Caviar.

From 14 wins Black Caviar has earned $3,595.050; certainly nothing to be sneezed at, but when compared to the Mark Kavanagh trained Whobetgotyou who has earned $3,263,450 from 10 wins and 14 placing’s its hardly over the top.

Whobegotyou has raced 15 more times than Black Caviar but only two of his wins have been in Group 1 races whilst the mare has won six Group 1’s.

Whobetgotyou is a very good horse but he doesn’t stop the industry like Black Caviar does and he certainly couldn’t get casual race-goers to the track to watch him perform.

A closer look at Whobetgotyou’s record gives an insight to where the big prize-money is and the greater opportunities available to older WFA horses who can run up to 2000m.

As a 3 year old Whobetgotyou pocked $270,000 for running second in the Victoria Derby, a race that has become more renowned for producing one hit wonders as up to half the field are usually Maidens or winners of lowly rated races.

As an older horse options in the Melbourne Spring for a horse like Whobetgotyou are plentiful and there is the added bonus of racing at WFA against half fit stayers with an eye to the cups.

At best, Black Caviar could compete in four races with two of those being Group 1 events and to run in all four would require a sprinter to kick off their preparation at 1200m and then eight days later drop back to 1000m, which is hardly ideal for any horse let alone one who is unbeaten.

Black Caviar is nominated to run in the Group 1 Patinack Farm Classic over 1200m on the last day of Flemington carnival.

The Patinack may be her swansong in Australia as trainer Peter Moody has indicated a desire to race the Mare in Asia or the UK and there are no guarantee the horse will race as a 6 year old.

The Patinack Classic is the under card to the Emirates Stakes, again Black Caviar may do the unthinkable and get over 100,000 to the last day of the carnival and for the first time surpass Derby Day and Melbourne Cup crowds.

Up until now a sprinter stopping the nation in cup week has been unthinkable but never has there been a horse with the ability to treat rivals with such contempt, those old enough to see Vain race may still have some trouble rating Black Caviar the superior performer but the latter has come along at a time when quantity had replaced quality in Australian Racing.

Black Caviar has been responsible for getting people to the track to watch a horse race and some would say she that is the greatest miracle she has achieved.