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Sports correspondent & historian with |
The weekend brought extremely sad news for thoroughbred racing followers worldwide with the news that Australian super mare Black Caviar had passed to horse heaven.
Awarded the champion world sprinter of the year in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013, Black Caviar, finished her racing career with a perfect 25 wins from 25 starts.
A group of Mount Maunganui RSA thoroughbred racing fans, who had a small link to the great mare, would have shed a small tear in remembrance - but more about that later.
Victory in the listed Blue Sapphire Stakes, in May 2009, started her on a run of listed and group races that would take her into thoroughbred racing immortality.
I have had many highlights and memories in following sport over the years, but few can compete with being trackside at Flemington racecourse in Melbourne, on the 12 March 2011.
Over twenty-five thousands racing fans were on track, when Black Caviar set out to take her winning streak to ten in the time-honoured Newmarket Handicap.
Black Caviar treated her rivals with disdain, in carrying a record top weight, she cruised up to the lead and raced away to win her third Group1 race by three lengths.
The wonder horse finished her four year old season with three further G1 wins in the William Reid Stakes at Moonee Valley, the TJ Smith Stakes at Randwick in Sydney and BTC Cup in Brisbane.
What a year her five year old season was in again sweeping all before her, with nine straight wins.
Trainer Peter Moody and jockey Luke Nolan, ventured into the unknown in June 2012, when Black Caviar raced in the Diamond Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot in England.
This time she was stretched to the limit, to retain her unbeaten run, in just getting home from French mare Moonlight Cloud by a head.
Black Caviar wound up her amazing career in the autumn of 2013 with her third Lightning Stakes, second William Reid Stakes and her swansong second TJ Smith Stakes.
Her final victory took her Group1 victories to fifteen. In November 2020, I took one of twenty shares in a Mount Maunganui RSA syndicate, which held five per cent of a thoroughbred that was to commence racing in Singapore.
Te Akau Racing, became the owners of a gelding, which was sold as a colt for hundreds of thousands of dollars at the 2018 yearling sales.
Highflying Australian studs and syndicates, would outlay big bucks for mouth-watering pedigrees with the horses flicked on if they didn't show early ability.
That was how a Mount Maunganui RSA syndicate became an owner of a small share in a close relation to Black Caviar. Stenmark was out of a mare who was a half-sister to the dam of Black Caviar.
While pedigrees look great on paper, it is ability on the track which finally decides the future of a well-bred horse.
From his first start in January 2021, to his recent end of racing in Singapore, Stenmark took the Mount RSA syndicate on an amazing roller coaster ride.
Four wins and ten placing's from 39 starts at Kranji racecourse, were interspersed with some bad behaviour, that saw Stenmark accorded a couple of yellow cards.
There are few sporting journeys that have as many highs and lows of ownership of a race horse.
While one may own a minuscule share, the joys of success are one-hundred per cent, as your horse leads the field past the winning post in victory.