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Sideline Sid Sports correspondant & historian www.sunlive.co.nz |
Sidline Sid has been AWOL again – this time he has been walkabout in Oz.
While holidaying was the main item on the agenda, there was abundance of sport that kept him on his toes throughout the break.
The undoubted highlights were seeing the racehorse the Aussie press is calling the best mare in the world win at Flemington last Saturday and having a few minutes with a true legend of Australian sport.
Last Saturday we journeyed out to Flemington racecourse for a day at the races and to be on hand to see if Black Caviar could break the nearly 100 year record of the most unbeaten runs.
In what was a shock to Sidline Sid's wallet, it cost $80 before he had even had a bet. Thirty bucks each to get in the gate, $14 for the two return train fares, and six bucks for a racebook.
Over 25,000 Aussie punters were trackside to witness what the media was calling ‘Australian Racing History' in the making.
The four-year-old black mare, who was unbeaten since making her race debut two years previously, was shooting for her 10th successive win on what was promoted as Super Saturday.
One thing that the Aussies excel at is hype – with the run of Black Caviar in the Lexus Newmarket Handicap having all the build-up and excitement that only the Australians can throw at a horse race.
The Group One Newmarket Handicap was being run for the 138th time with the previous winners' list reading like a who's who of Australian racehorses.
Raced over the classic sprint distance of 1200 metres (formerly six furlongs), Black Caviar was asked to carry the heaviest impost ever carried to victory in the time-honoured race.
It was certainly a wonderful sight as the black mare shifted into another gear halfway down the straight to simply runaway from her rivals at the winning post.
The crowd rose to its feet as she hit the front with spontaneous applause with the horse receiving a rare standing reception as the mighty mare returned to the birdcage.
While it was fantastic to be at Flemington on Super Saturday – to call her the best mare of the modern era to race in Australia, is typical of the Aussie hyperbole when it comes to racing and sport.
I can recall a New Zealand mare by the name of Sunline, who really was the Mare of the World, around a decade ago.
Black Caviar's record of 10 straight wins, three Group One victories, and $2.3 million is small change (at this stage in her career) when stacked up alongside Sunline's record.
Sunline finished her racing career, with 11 Group One victories on her ledger sheet, and over $11 million in the bank. While Black Caviar is a very good horse, the future will tell whether she should be accorded champion status.
Next week, Sidline Sid will tell you about the Australian Sports Hall of Fame member that he caught up with in Queensland.
Seeya at the Game