Freak Goes for Record 20 in a Row

image from Blackcaviar.net.au

Friday April 27 2012

Black Caviar, the Australian sensation, will run Saturday (that's Friday night, US time) at Morphettville in Adelaide, Australia, in the 1200-meter Group I Sportingbet Classic, seeking her 20th victory in a row. She's currently tied with Australia's with Desert Gold and Gloaming at 19 consecutive wins. She's only 5 years old.

She had a short break since her last race February 18; she had a 'jump-out' at Caulfield on April 17, an unofficial work as a simulated race of 800 meters out of the gate against several horses, where she 'won' by 8 lengths.

Black Caviar has been called 'the world's fastest racehorse', 'the best sprinter in the world', 'the number one rated sprinter of all time', 'the mighty mare', and a 'freak,' and who can argue with that?

While Trainer Peter Moody will see how she comes out of this race, he's already looking ahead to her next possible race at Adelaide in the Group I Goodwood, which would be her last start in Australia before heading to England to run in the Group I Diamond Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot on June 23, and at Newmarket in July. It is hoped that she will meet the sensational unbeaten European champion, and world's top-ranked Thoroughbred Frankel there (he's nine for nine), but at this point it looks unlikely.

Really, I'm done with horse racing, and it still makes me hold my breath if I ever watch a race live, but some horses just grab your attention and reel you in for one more taste of Sensational. Black Caviar is one of those!

Black Caviar Update

Herald Sun Photo

February 24 2012

After Australia's rad racehorse Black Caviar's win last Friday in her 19th consecutive race, which came only one week after her previous win, she was possibly going to run again tomorrow, on only 6 days' rest again, in the $1 million Blue Diamond Stakes.

However, it appears owners and trainer Peter Moody have decided her next major goal will be at Royal Ascot in England in June. She will possibly go for her 20th win in a row in Adelaide or Brisbane before she flies to England. Those of us who know racing (and probably most of us who don't) are probably breathing a wee sigh of relief she is not running her third Group I race in 3 weeks tomorrow, although the trainer was confident she would have won again.

Moody said, "There's nothing wrong with her. To the contrary, she's at the top of her game. But it's all geared around having her at her peak when she flies across to England for the 6-furlong Diamond Jubilee Stakes. That's the Royal Ascot race the owners have had their sights on for some time and everything is being tailored like a Savile Row suit to have her cherry-ripe for that race on June 23."

There in England it is possible that Black Caviar, the world's current number 2 racehorse will meet the world's current number 1 racehorse in Frankel, though Moody's not committing to anything other than the Diamond Jubilee Stakes. (Frankel was 9 for 9 at the end of last year as a 3-year-old; his 6 length win in the 1-mile 2000 Guineas is called 'one of the greatest displays on a British racecourse". He has yet to start this year.)

(All this, and really, I'm not that interested in racing anymore after Zenyatta - really!)

Top photo is by the HeraldSun.com.au

Here's a video from last October comparing the two

**CORRECTION: Black Caviar was to run in the Futurity Stakes at Caulfield racetrack on Saturday. Not the Blue Diamond Stakes.
Thanks to Lorrie for pointing that out!

Australia's Flying Freak: Black Caviar

Saturday February 18 2012

It's confirmed: Black Caviar is a Freak. Just six days after her 18th straight win in a 1500-meter stakes race, yesterday at Flemington racecourse in Australia, the 5-year-old mare won her 19th straight race in the 1000-meter (about 5-furlongs) Group I Lightning Stakes. (And it was her second straight victory in the Lightning Stakes.) She almost set a new track record in doing so.

She also tied Australia's record of consecutive victories, set between 1915 and 1921 by Desert Gold and Gloaming.

I don't have a TV, so my friend Amanda recorded the race on her cell phone and emailed it to me! That's the video up top.

Below is a link to the race on youtube, though they don't show the break from the gate and the first furlong or so.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wID6-p68gtc

And, in fact, let's hear it for the Thoroughbred ladies who are taking over horse racing around the world!

The last three Horse of the Year titles in the US have gone to three ladies:

2009: Rachel Alexandra (Zenyatta was second in a hotly contested and contentious vote)

2010: Zenyatta

2011: Havre de Grace

In Australia, the last two Australian Champion Racehorse of the Year titles have gone to mares:

2010-11 - Black Caviar

2009-10 - Typhoon Tracy

Really, after my years on the racetrack, and especially after Zenyatta retired, I'm about done with racing… but when a Freak like this comes along, you have to pay attention and you can't help but love her and root for her.

Next on Black Caviar's schedule, if she comes out of this race good, is Dubai in March, and Royal Ascot in June.

The world will be watching - good luck Black Caviar!

Shades of Zenyatta: Black Caviar

Friday February 17 2012

Lest we forget the magnificence of Zenyatta (which would NEVER happen), and as we await her first foal (due in March), another mare in Australia is following in her illustrious footsteps.

The 6-year-old black mare Black Caviar is sitting on an 18 for 18 record, and goes for her 19th straight win, just like Zenyatta did. Black Caviar has taken her world by storm, just like Zenyatta did here; and just like people did for Zenyatta, they are flying halfway around the world to see Black Caviar. Some of the fever has spread to Europe, where in England her races are shown live.

Like Zenyatta, Black Caviar was bought for $60,000 before the start of her career, and like Zenyatta, who was featured on the mainstream US news like Sports Illustrated, Time Magazine, People and 60 Minutes, Black Caviar has been on Australian Story. Unlike Zenyatta, Black Caviar is strictly a sprinter (races under a mile), but like Zenyatta, she has (so far) won 17 stakes races.

One article in the Australian Herald Sun written after her 18th win stated: "Every generation or so, it seems the racing gods deliver a 'Flying Pegasus' - a horse that literally lifts the industry from its humdrum, taking even those who can make no sense of it on a magic carpet ride." Another article called her "freakishly talented." World Thoroughbred Rankings rated her "the world's best racehorse."

Like Zenyatta, Black Caviar gets under the skin the race callers: as she's sweeping to another win, they've called her "the great mare," "the Pride of Australia," "awesome racehorse," "the greatest show on earth," "Australia's pin-up girl," "the invincible one," "this is why she's rated the best in the world," "the indisputed champion of the world," etc. (I think you get the picture!)

Black Caviar runs tomorrow at Flemington in the Group I Lightning Stakes, expected to be a tough race because she's shortening in distance from her last win.

It's said that the whole country of Australia shuts down for the annual 2-mile Melbourne Cup; another win from Black Caviar and she herself might become known as "the mare that stops the nation" when she runs.

Chip Chase Sadaqa: The Oz Endurance Legend

5 July 2011

The legendary endurance stallion Chip Chase Sadaqa passed away peacefully June 15th 2011 at the Toft Endurance farm in Marburg, SE Queensland, Australia, at the age of 34.

"Such a kind natured, wonderful performance horse; an unparalleled ambassador for his breed," said Jo Hamilton-Branigan, of Kholonial Performance Arabians. "There aren't enough superlatives to describe him."

It was Peter Cole who saw the yearling colt Chip Chase Sadaqa, by Cherokee Mecca out of Silala, by Silver Spot, advertised in 1978 in an Arabian Horse News advertisement. He liked the look in the colt's eye, and bought Sadaqa sight unseen from breeders Pam and John Roydhouse.

Sadaqa, a 95,996% Crabbet Arabian out of the Kehailan Rodan strain (Rodania, 1869), would likely have excelled in the showring. However, Sadaqa became a legendary endurance horse, "many times carrying huge weights and winning rides by significant margins," Hamilton-Branigan says, on her Tribute to Sadaqa webpage.

His endurance record speaks for itself:
He competed for 15 years with his owner Peter Cole, from 1981-1995, with 4,488 lifetime km during these years. He completed 48 of 54 rides (an 88% completion record). He had 14 First Place finishes; 33 top-five placings; 17 Best Condition Awards, 29 First Heavy Weight finishes. He won the 1983 160-km Australian Tom Quilty Gold Cup and was second in 1987 with another endurance legend, Ron Males, riding. He won the 1984 160-km QSC Cheerabah, and he was the Australian National Endurance Champion in 1983. He was awarded the 2008 WAHO Trophy, annually bestowed by the World Arabian Horse Organization, to an Arabian horse in each country who has been an excellent 'ambassador' for the breed.



I visited the Tofts and Sadaqa in Australia in 2007, where Sadaqa was still standing at stud at age 30. According to Peter Toft, early on, Pete Cole had bred all kinds of mares to Sadaqa, not select ones; and early on he appeared to be throwing good offspring. Often an endurance stallion becomes great after he’s dead, because after a riding career, he’ll start breeding, and it may not be till his first crop is 10 or 11 before you see if there’s a really great horse or two in there. Then you wait for the next crop or two to see if that was just a fluke. With Sadaqa, it appeared early on that he was no flash in the pan.

Peter Toft liked Sadaqa offspring, "because they’re intelligent, very tractable and easy to handle, on the ground and in the vet ring, and, they’ve just proved to be good."

Into Sadaqa's 30's, seventy percent of his progeny had competed successfully in endurance. His offspring had won major endurance events in Australia, the Australian National and State Championships across Divisions (Junior, Lightweight, Middleweight and Heavyweight), State Pointscore and Distance Awards, and Best Conditioned Awards in all Divisions over all Distances.

He will be greatly missed by the endurance world, but his superb performance record in endurance, and his influence as one of the great world-ranked endurance sires will likely remain with us a long time.



In this video – Chip Chase Sadaqa – a purebred Australian Arabian stallion (reg AHSA) was honoured by the endurance fraternity as a “living legend”. In this historic video Sadaqa is 32 yrs of age (b.Jan 1977) and he is presented by Ron Males (on behalf of Toft Endurance). The presentation took place at the National Championship 160km (Endurance) Ride – the Tom Quilty Gold Cup 2008. Sadaqa was also the recipient of the inaugural Australian WAHO Trophy for 2008. (Video courtesy of Youtube: Kholonial, Jo Hamilton-Branigan).