Saturday, in the Group 1, $1 million Darley T.J. Smith Stakes, she got her 12th win in 12 lifetime races. She won by nearly three lengths when, in mid-stretch, she pulled a Zenyatta and looked like she wasn't going to get there. But she did, resembling a horse bred on Jupiter or perhaps a planet outside of our solar system.
Once again, the Australian fans turned out in extraordinary numbers, proving that Black Caviar is indeed, the Zenyatta of Australia, as I pointed out in a recent post.
Some responded to that post by questioning Black Caviar's ranking as the world's best because she's a sprinter. At the time, she had also run mostly on straightaways instead of turns. Those were valid questions. But her last two races have both been on turns, and both have been romping victories. Not only that, but Saturday, she ran a clockwise turn and in her previous victory, she won going a counter-clockwise turn.
Her dominance, as measured by the public, is remarkable. At post time of Saturday's race, in the US pools, $95,264 had been bet into the win pool. Black Caviar had $87,903 of that! Here's what that kind of dominance looks like. Even Zenyatta never claimed this kind of tote board:
The exacta pools were equally comical. I think you can tell that Black Caviar is number 7 in the screen shot below. Honestly, I couldn't believe Hay List's exacta price (#1) - he's only the best male sprinter in Australia. It was a fat payday for this blogger, since Hay List finished a well-crushed second.
The question now is whether Black Caviar could get a longer distance - say a mile? That's the province of Goldikova as of now, but I would love to see that matchup. For now, just enjoy and tell your friends about Black Caviar:
I would love to see Black Caviar stretch out. The way she won her last two especially, exploding after the turn and overtaking Hay List later in the stretch, makes me think she is good enough to get at least a mile if not more.
ReplyDeleteAgreed Brian. Would love to see her try anyway. By the way, I read and enjoyed your piece on Black Caviar this week...
ReplyDeleteThank you very much Scott,
ReplyDeleteSorry it took me so long to get back to you with a response!
We here in the U.S. are in love with this stunning filly. Even Zenyatta posts about Black Caviar in her blog. We wish, wish, wish that Nelly would visit us! She's simply the best and has many fans here. We love you Black Caviar! Filly power, indeed!
ReplyDeleteBlack Caviar for the win, as usual! I like this beautiful creature, but who wouldn't right?
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