A great-granddaughter of Nijinksy, Black Caviar was a prolific Australian mare, who was retired from racing unbeaten, after 25 starts over five seasons, on April 17, 2023. Indeed, her career tally included 15 Group 1 victories, one more than the previous record holder, Kingstown Town, who won the W.S. Cox Plate three years running in 1980, 1981 and 1982. She was awarded a Timeform Annual Rating of 136, making her the highest-rated Australian horse in the history of that distinguished organisation.
Owned by lifelong friends Colin and Jannene Madden, Gary and Kerryn Wilkie and Neil Werrett and trained by Peter Moody, in Melbourne, Victoria, Black Caviar recorded her first Group 1 success in the Patinack Farm Classic at Flemington – when ridden for the one and only time by Ben Melham – on November 6, 2010. Reunited with her regular partner, Luke Nolen, she followed up with an impressive, 3¼-length victory in the Lightning Stakes, also at Flemington, the following February and would go on to win that race twice more, in 2012 and 2013.
The closest Black Caviar came to defeat was in the Diamond Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot, in her one and only race outside Australia, on June 23, 2012. Sent off at prohibitive odds of 1/6, in a field of 14, Black Caviar looked like comfortably extending her winning sequence when taking command, under just hands and heels riding, inside the final furlong. However, Nolen prematurely dropped his hands in the closing stages, allowing the hard-driven Moonlight Cloud, ridden by Freddie Head, to press for the lead. Thankfully, though, Nolen realised his error and resumed riding just in time for Black Caviar to hold on by a head.
Black Caviar was humanely euthanised on August 17, 2024, shortly after delivering her final foal – her ninth in 11 years since her retirement – having been diagnosed with the extremely painful, and incurable, hoof disease laminitis. Completing the tragedy, the foal died shortly afterwards.