News

Black Caviar nearing twenty straight wins

27th Jan 2012

Herald Sun - Ray Thomas - Friday, 27 January 2012

TRAINER Peter Moody is running out of words to describe Black Caviar just like the great mare is running out of worthy rivals.

Barring an act of God, Black Caviar will make it win No.17 in the Group 2 Australia Stakes (1200m) at Moonee Valley tonight.

She has only six rivals and TAB Sportsbet fixed odds has her at unbackable odds of $1.02.

Moody believes Black Caviar is in the best shape of her career and has his sights on beating champion American mare Zenyatta's modern day record of 19 consecutive wins.

"If she gets as far as that (19 wins), and I'm very confident she will, I just want to see her 20th run in Australia," Moody said.

"I think the industry here deserves it. If she can go 20 out of 20, I'd love to see it here in Australia. I desperately want to see it here."

Although Black Caviar's owners hope she can race another season at least, it is a sobering thought that the rising six-year-old mare is closer to the end of her career than the beginning.

"Any run she has now could be her farewell," Moody said, adding he wouldn't hesitate to retire the mare if he felt she was no longer capable of producing her absolute best.

"I've done it (retire) before with Typhoon Tracy and I wouldn't hesitate to do the same with this mare.

"We want to see her 110 per cent, so that if at any stage along the way I don't think that's the case, I wouldn't hesitate to one, stop the preparation, and two, recommend retirement to her owners."

Black Caviar is the best sprinter this writer has seen and is the sport's best advertisement, drawing crowds and the nation's attention whenever she races.

But is Black Caviar becoming a victim of her own greatness?

Despite her popularity, it seems not everyone is in Black Caviar's corner.

There was lively debate on racing websites and social media this week, with an interesting thread on the popular Racenet forum that showed the divide between her critics and supporters.

Some of the anti-Black Caviar camp think watching her beat up on small fields and inferior opposition is hardly compelling. The comments included:

"No doubt she will beat this bunch of no hopers with one leg in the air. Boring."

"Mustard, where are you? What I find annoying is she'll win this by a furlong and everyone will rave and the media as usual will blow it out of proportion. I'm as excited as the next person but really, I want to see her either go overseas or for overseas horses to come here. She hasn't beaten a lot here, apart from Hay List."

"She ain't Phar Lap."

"I think anyone who gets excited over a horse beating five-horse fields and thinking that horse is a champion or the world's best, is a bit sad, or has nothing else in their life. You can't put her in the same category as the real champs we've had."

But her army of supporters came marching to her defence with comments like:

"The cynics potting the freak mare crack me up. Now she has to win a Cox Plate? No one wants to see Usain Bolt in the 800m, that would be silly, but he is still one of the greatest athletes ever. Same BC (Black Caviar)."

"Everyone's an expert. The reality is she scares off the competition and all the top jockeys of this era who have ridden against her say she is a freak and champion - unless any of you train horses or ride in races against her I think the knockers should really keep quiet."

"Just because there is no competition ... doesn't mean every other horse is crap! Just means she's a freak!"

Black Caviar - a freak? Ain't that the truth!