RIP Black Caviar, Aussie hero

The death of a racehorse was the lead item on all Australia’s major news platforms on Saturday. That says a lot about the Aussies’ love of racing, of sport and of their nation’s heroes.

This wasn’t any old racehorse, however.

Black Caviar was one of the greatest sprinters to tread the turf and retired unbeaten after 25 races between April 2009 and April 2013 – having banked more than A$8-million in prize money. She won 15 Group 1 contests including a storied 2012 Diamond Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot in the UK.

The giant mare was euthanised at a farm in Hunter Valley, New South Wales, one day before her 18th birthday and shortly after giving birth to a colt by the esteemed stallion Snitzel. She suffered a severe case of laminitis – a painful, often incurable, hoof disease.

‘The world’s most popular racehorse’

Horses don’t make many front-page headlines – certainly not in South Africa these days – but her legend was enough for the far-off New York Times to prominently flag her passing.

The first paragraph of the NYT story read: “She transcended racing to become a household name in Australia and revived, for a time, a sport in decline. At the height of her career, she graced the cover of Vogue, met Queen Elizabeth II and had her own line of shampoo and conditioner.”

She was ranked the world’s best sprinter three years in a row and was widely dubbed “the world’s most popular racehorse”.

In 2012, she was named Sportswoman of the Year by an Australian newspaper, controversially ahead of Olympic hurdling champion Sally Pearson.

She was the first animal featured on popular TV show Australian Story and joined Don Bradman, Rod Laver and Dawn Fraser in the Australian Sports Hall of Fame.

Black Caviar’s most dramatic and memorable victory came in her sole venture out of Australia, to contest the Diamond Jubilee at Royal Ascot in England, where the local press called her “The wonder from Downunder”.

Global media interest in the raid on the world’s most prestigious race meeting was huge, with each step of the mare’s journey detailed for an eager audience.

This built pressure on her owners – and even more on trainer Peter Moody and regular rider Luke Nolen. An injury niggle in preparation didn’t help.

Nor did the support back home. For the big race, thousands of people crammed into Melbourne’s Federation Square in the small hours of Sunday morning to watch their hero together on a big screen.

As it happened, Black Caviar was cruising to a comfortable victory over the six-furlong trip when jockey Nolen had a “brain fade” and started easing up on his mount – as two challengers flew up alongside. Hearts fluttered.

0.2-length victory

As Racing Post put it, “…with millions of Australians watching in the small hours, Nolen flirted with infamy by nursing her to the line, before feverishly riding again to lift her to her 0.2-length victory.”

After the race, Moody noticed how exhausted his charge was and worried she might keel over onto Queen Elizabeth, who was intent of getting up close and patting the super mare she’d heard so much about.

Moody said at the weekend that he had wept in his car for an hour at a race meeting after hearing of Black Caviar’s passing.

“It’s impossible not to get attached to most animals let alone one like her.”

Nolen, who rode the mare in 22 of her victories, said: “You could say she was just a horse, but she was more than a horse. She was an integral part of my career but, more importantly, she was so important for racing itself. It was great to be a part of her story, but I always felt a bit guilty because anyone could’ve done the job.”

Speaking of the horse known around his stable as “Nelly”, Moody described a sweet nature – off the track at least – and how his three teenage daughters could ride her bareback when she was spelling on the family farm, and “play with her like a big puppy dog”.

“She was a big, strong, boisterous, cranky girl when in work, but at home it was just ‘flick the switch’,” he said. “She had a wonderful personality, and that attached to her brilliant racing career … she had it all.”