In a massive change of heart the AFL confirmed yesterday they will move a fixture to accommodate the equine wonder that is Black Caviar for Saturday week’s Group One race at Morphettville, The Goodwood.
Why is it a change of heart?
Well, less than twelve months ago the AFL CEO Andrew Demetriou was at pains to point out to anyone that would listen that the AFL would not be changing its fixture to accommodate another sport, namely football for Australia’s proposal to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
In fairness to the AFL, they do not see the racing industry as a direct competitor to the behemoth that they have become. Football, on the other hand, directly competes for the same hearts and minds of children and their families as the Australian football development programs and marketing teams do.
The move to shift the start of the Adelaide versus Geelong game forward half an hour will allow supporters of the Crows and Cats enough time to leave AAMI park and head to the track to see the mighty mare off on her last run in Australia before taking on the best of Europe at Royal Ascot in June.
Should she win as expected, the crowd at Morphettville which would be expected to top 30,000 again, will see her maintain a 100 percent record from an unprecedented 21 starts, 11 of those at Group 1 level.
Black Caviar is simply amazing.
It is worth considering the AFL owed racing a leg up as well. The past two Turnbull Stakes days were moved to Sunday, to accommodate the grand final replay in 2010 and the first October grand final last year.
Congratulations to the Adelaide Football Club and South Australian Jockey Club for the initiative, further congratulations must go to the broadcasters, Channel 7 and Fox Footy and a final pat on the back to the AFL for having the flexibility to move the game as well.
If you don’t like racing – take some advice from Molly Meldrum – do yourself a favour on Saturday week. Instead of mowing the lawns, hitting the shops, or getting the next shout in between football matches just stay focused on the screen for an extra 1m12s to watch a legend grow to stratospheric proportions.
Hosting the FIFA World Cup is a once in a lifetime event that we all would remember and treasure forever. Right now though, Black Caviar is a once in a lifetime horse and if the might of the AFL, Channel 7 and Fox Sports can change their plans on Saturday week, then you should be able to too.
MFB1991
Guest
Time for the hot milk Cattery.......you're starting to ramble again.!!
GrantS
Guest
1m12secs Andrew ? I will be extremely surprised if she doesn't run a lot faster than that ! ;>)
ManInBlack
Guest
for PR - - -the AFL don't owe the SAJC anything. It's the VRC that had issue about the extended 2011 season. Interesting to see Demetriou and McLachlan down at Warrnambool again for the jumps, as they were last year. Alas - the local mayor will be disappointed in the lack of improvement in clobber.
The Cattery
Roar Guru
Very true Cameron. It's amazing that the AFL gets accused of arrogance. If it wanted to, it could squash every other sport like a gnat, but chooses not to because it prefers to be part of a strong, broader-based sporting landscape in Australia, and as such, has a very good record of working in with other sports for the good of all sporting patrons.
Cameron
Guest
Can we now say that the AFL has let go of it's arrogance? Because that is what it would be accused of if they had not moved the gametime, No?
doubledutch
Roar Pro
I follow all sport, including horse racing and I have to disgree with all of you. Yes, Black Caviar is a truely a great horse, there is no denying it, but she will never become legendary or put into Australian folk lore. Living in Sydney, I don't get the feeling at all that she is dominating the sporting head lines, hell you would have to seriously go out of your way to actually watch most of her races since they only last 2 minutes and are on Saturdays when most people are doing other things. I agree with what the AFL did, for all the above reasons, but make no mistake they did it as a PR exercise and also because as one gentleman already stated, owed racing one for changing their own scheduling for the AFL in the past. As far as Black Caviar goes, I will tell you this. As an avid horse racing lover, it is great to see an Australian horse do so well. However, Australia was built on the thoroughbred horse. Horse racing and gambling is in our DNA and is why the Melbourne Cup is the BIGGEST sporting event in Australia by a country mile. Not only that it is one of the biggest horse races around the world now. Sprinters have and never will hold any great long term credibility in this country. Stayers are the pride and joy of this country, the most revered of all thoroughbreds. The greatest races around the world are for stayers, there is nothing better than watching champion American horses winning the Triple Crown, European horses battling it out for the ultimate prize in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, or even our very own Melbourne cup, Cox plate and Caufield Cup. I had a tear in my eye when I watched from Ireland the great Makybe Diva win her third straight cup. That made headlines around the world, that's star power! The great Pharlap still is the second most popular sporting icon, second only to the great Don Bradman in Australia's sporting landscape. Why, because he was the best stayer in the WORLD! I will be watching when Black Caviar tries to cement herself as possibly the best sprinter ever when she runs at Royal Ascot in front of the Queen. I bid her he best of luck and despite what I have said above, I will be very proud if she can stick it to the Pomps! Go the CAVIAR!
SUPREMO
Guest
Great article and well said. Now only if Black Caviar would run right through A.D and do us all a favour, that would be tremendous.
The Cattery
Roar Guru
Also, there is an argument that Black Caviar, right now, is the biggest Australian sporting phenomenon since Phar Lap, so it's probably a stretch for anyone to think that FIFA would get equivalent treatment and respect to Black Caviar.
Andrew Leonard
Roar Pro
Obviously the consensus of comments is that I was having a go at the AFL and their stance during the ultimately failed World Cup bid attempt. This is not the case. The point of the article was more to highlight the once in a lifetime horse that we are all so enthralled by. It was a congratulations piece to SAJC, Adelaide Crows, the AFL, the Seven Network and Fox Sports. The point was more to highlight the true scale of the Black Caviar phenomenon. In an earlier draft I also had it that the AFL in all likeliness would change fixtures if they see fit to do so, however it wasn't the point. Oh and apologies on the timeline error, of course the hoo-ha over venues was 2 years ago now.
Jason Cave
Guest
It's not the first time the AFL has moved a game later than its normal scheduling time. In 1997, the AFL decided to move the Adelaide Crows v West Coast Eagles finals game to a Sunday, to avoid a TV clash of times, because the original game time was due to be played on a Saturday night-at the same time as the live TV coverage of the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales.
The_Wookie
Roar Guru
No choice really, black caviar is the biggest sporting individual in the state right now, combine it with an afl match and youve got the biggest weekend in Adelaide until next january. I wish i was kidding. I run a hotel in Adelaide, and i know.
Australian Rules
Guest
If they wanted to postpone the entire AFL season so that Black Caviar could do track work on the MCG...then you might be able to draw a comparison with the WC 2022 Bid. Actually, Demetriou is such a racing nut he might have said yes to that... but as it happened, we got only 1 vote anyway so it's a moot point. Great effort by the AFL and SAJC to be flexible for this event.
JamesP
Guest
Apart from the points raised above, I would also add that BOTH the AFL and the SAJC were flexible - with the SAJC pushing back Black Caviars run by 30 mins also. To give fans just over an hour to see both events.
The Cattery
Roar Guru
Agree with MIB. As a general rule, the AFL is not overly belligerent about its fixturing, contrary to what many on this site prefer to believe, and will often make way to accommodate other sporting events, in the interests of all sporting patrons.
ManInBlack
Guest
um....it's a long straw to draw claiming this is in any way similar to the wholesale change that would've been required by the FFA's FIFA WC bid. And, less than 12 months ago? The was all done and dusted by Dec 2 2010, however, the AFL and NRL vs FFA was at it's peak around Dec 2009 and the bid book was locked away with agreements and MOU's by May of 2010. The AFL moving the start time by 30 mins to avoid a direct conflict in a city the size of Adelaide is a good common sense move. The AFL - believe it or not - generally does try to avoid scheduling conflicts. And, believe it or not - has compromised and relented at times when perhaps they could have gone to the Nth degree - examples at Docklands include ACDC concerts and HAL GF's during the NAB cup. Obviously - a preseason comp is more easily accomodating of change. Again - how you can draw a line between a single game moving forward 30 mins to potential FIFA directed exclusion from host citys for 4 weeks and exclusion from key grounds for 8-10 weeks etc etc. Nah......doesn't work.