Having won the hearts and minds of millions of racing enthusiasts and members of the general public, Black Caviar will now embark on a new career and indeed a new challenge in the breeding barn. Not all top class race mares go on to perform at the highest level as a broodmare, but in Black Caviar’s case she will simply be following in the footsteps of her dam and grandam, both considered to be blue hen producers by breeding experts. Unlike some top class race mares, she is not a freak or an accident of nature, she is one of many family members to perform at the highest level and is well placed to produce the finest thoroughbreds. I envy her owners, with so many top stallions to consider for her first mating, with Fastnet Rock, Redoutes Choice and More Than Ready the likely local contenders.
I would like to thank Rick Jamieson for buying Helsinge from Inglis (with help from Peter Ford), and then allowing our company to sell all of her yearlings. Black Caviar was of course the first, and I know Peter Heagney will saviour the day he offered her for sale in 2008 at Oaklands and commented that she would be a valuable broodmare one day if she could win a Group One, after knocking her down to the astute yearling judge Peter Moody for $210,000. How right he was, and
no-one in the Oaklands auditorium that day could have predicted she would win 15 Group One races and remain undefeated after 25 runs and go down in history as the best female racehorse of all time.
I have no intention of comparing her with former champions, but her achievements are unique – the most special for me was how quickly she became a household and school yard name. I remember my youngest child Harrison at the age of four finding an old race book in the back of my car and flicking the pages. He screamed out from his booster seat that he had found Black Caviar on one of the pages after recognising her silks – not bad for a four year old who had no learnt to read. He has cheered her home every race since, and she is much admired by his schoolyard friends.
My favourite moment was her 2011 win in the TJ Smith. Hay List had stolen a 4 length lead coming around the bend at Randwick and the crowd gasped in shock at the thought of her being beaten by another top class sprinter. But she did not let us down, Luke simply pressed the button and she flew past Hay List within seconds to show to the world her dominance, and unbelievable win.
Congratulations to her wonderful owners and Peter Moody and his team for managing her racing
career so well, and always putting her welfare first. They have been patient when needed, and have allowed all of us to be part of her journey. Her younger sibling All Too Hard has already taken up the mantle having won three groups ones, and Australia now waits in anticipation and Bell Couture and this years Easter Sale topper Jimmy to add to the families achievements on the racetrack.
She will always have a special place amongst her friends here at Inglis, and will no doubt be top of mind for years to come when buyers and vendors celebrate their success in the Black Caviar Bar at Oaklands. God bless Black Caviar.
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