Black Caviar wins Horse of the Year

| Mon 19 September, 2011

It was perhaps her easiest "win", but Black Caviar's triumph as Australian Racehorse of the Year was not without the shock element.

As expected, Black Caviar was a runaway winner, but the surprise was not all the judges viewing the world's best sprinter and the only Australian horse ever to top the world rankings as the best horse produced in the country last season.

Black Caviar - unbeaten in her eight starts, including a country-best six Group 1s and setting a weight carrying record for a mare and clocking the fastest ever Newmarket Handicap - wasn't everyone's top pick.

The equine equivalent of sprinter Usain Bolt polled 301 of a potential 318 votes to continue the dominance of mares in the Australian Racehorse of the Year.

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Senior racing administrators - CEOs, chairman of stewards, chief handicappers - and members of the media around the country voted by allocating three, two and one points.

According to the breakdown of votes, 17 judges favoured So You Think over Black Caviar.

The dual Cox Plate winner received 208 votes to finish second, just as he did in the Victorian Racehorse of the Year award.

But unlike the Victorian award, which was restricted solely to performances in the state, the national title covered all of the country.

So You Think's two Group 1s in Europe at the tail end of the season could not be considered as the horse was trained by Ireland's Aidan O'Brien.

During his tenure with Bart Cummings in the 2010 spring, So You Think won four Group 1s:- the Underwood Stakes, Caulfield Stakes, Cox Plate and Mackinnon Stakes.

Blue Diamond and Golden Slipper winner Sepoy was a distant third on 58 votes, with Gai Waterhouse's outstanding mare More Joyous, on 48 votes, rounding out the first four.

All the judges were in tune when it came to crowning Black Caviar as the Champion Sprinter. She received the maximum 318 votes.

It was the second successive year that a Peter Moody-trained horse has won the Racehorse of the Year honour.
Typhoon Tracy won the title last year.

Mares have dominated the award this millennium with Sunline winning it in three successive years between 2000-02; Makybe Diva (2005-06); Miss Andretti (2007), Typhoon Tracy (2010) and Black Caviar this year.

Completing a stellar night for the Black Caviar team, Moody was awarded the Group 1 Champion trainer courtesy of his nine wins, and Luke Nolen claimed the Group 1 jockey title with eight wins.

Australian Racehorse of the Year Awards:

Australian Racehorse of the Year: Black Caviar

Champion Two Year Old: Sepoy

Champion Three Year Old Filly: Shamrocker

Champion Three Year Old Colt or Gelding: Star Witness

Champion Sprinter: Black Caviar

Champion Middle Distance Performer: So You Think

Champion Stayer: Americain

Most Popular Racehorse: Black Caviar

Public voting: Black Caviar (56.6 per cent), Black And Bent (21.2 per cent) So You Think (10.2 per cent), Zipping (6.9 per cent), More Joyous (3.9 per cent) and Sepoy (1.2 per cent).

Champion Jumper: Black And Bent

Champion Australian-Bred International: Rocket Man

 

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