Guest Column: It’s Black Magic!

17 February, 2013
– Lisa Barrett

It was all too easy for the super mare from Down Under yesterday, as Black Caviar made it 23 straight wins, when she took the Lightning Stakes (Gr.1) at Flemington on Saturday in commanding fashion, becoming the first mare since 1955 to win it three successive times. She also registered her 13th Group One win equaling the record held by the great mare Sunline & champion gelding Tie The Knot.

A lengthy eight month lay off due to injuries received in her heart-stopping victory in the Diamond Jubilee Stakes (Gr.1) at Royal Ascot last June, seemed to have no effect whatsoever on the champion mare.

Regular jockey Luke Nolan just had to give her a “squeeze” in the straight and she powered away from the rest of the field, including her two stablemates Moment Of Change and Golden Archer, who tried their best to keep up with her, and you could hear the roars of the capacity crowd of over 27 000 as the nation’s darling “Nelly” as she is fondly referred to there, showed her class with an easy wind. Officially, she won the race by 2.5 lengths going away, even though she was more than four lengths clear near the line.

Mindful of his nearly catastrophic decision at Royal Ascot last June, where he was accused of dropping his hands when they were at the finish line, Nolan throttled her down carefully, and she cruised across the line. Black Caviar also managed to set a new course record of 55.42 seconds, a record held for the past 25 years by Special. If there were any lingering doubts about the fitness of Black Caviar, she put them to rest in the most emphatic fashion, running the first 31.43 seconds, for the last 600 metres, 21.22 for the final 400 metres, 11.05 for the last 200.

Her trainer Peter Moody wouldn’t be drawn on his future plans for the great mare, preferring to adopt a watch-and-wait attitude for now. On the evidence of yesterday’s performance, it would be a massive tragedy were we not be able to see such her in action again. One just has to look at her when she is in the parade ring to know that she knows she is a champion!