Unbeaten BLACK CAVIAR (Bel Esprit) has been named Australia’s
Horse of the Year, it was announced Saturday night, but the decision was not
unanimous. The five-year-old mare, the fifth distaffer to be so honored since the
turn of the century, garnered 301 of the 318 votes cast by the country’s senior
racing administrators and racing journalists.
The other 17 votes went to SO YOU THINK (High Chaparral [Ire]), who was also
crowned in the middle-distance category. Now trained in Ireland by Aidan
O’Brien, the winner of the Eclipse S. (Eng-G1), Tattersalls Gold Cup (Ire-G1)
and Irish Champion S. (Ire-G1) is aiming for the October 2 Prix de l’Arc de
Triomphe (Fr-G1).
Black Caviar was every voter’s choice as
champion sprinter and her conditioner, Peter Moody, earned the title as Group 1
Champion Trainer with nine victories at the highest level. Luke Nolen, her
rider, was the Group 1 Champion Jockey with eight elite wins.
Black Caviar has
yet to be tested, but Moody told the Herald Sun, “It seems stupid to say, but I
always said she’d be better as a five-year-old at 1400 meters and 1600 meters,
and you’ll see that in the autumn.”
He added that the superstar mare will make her return in the Schillaci S.
(Aus-G2) at Caulfield October 8.
Owned by the partnership
of G.J. and Mrs. K.J. Wilkie, Werrett Bloodstock P/L Syndicate, C. and Mrs J.
Madden, P. Hawkes and D.M. and Mrs. J. Taylor, Black Caviar was last seen running
her record to a perfect 13-for-13 in the May 14 BTC Cup (Aus-G1) at Doomben. It was
her sixth consecutive Group 1 success. The dark bay has earned $3,461,783.
In
addition to Horse of the Year honors, she was also tabbed by racing fans as
Australia’s most popular horse in an online poll, earning 56.5 percent of the vote.
BLACK AND BENT (Black Hawk), named champion jumper for the 2010-11
season, was second in the popularity poll.
The year’s other Australian champions are SEPOY (Elusive Quality),
two-year-old; STAR WITNESS (Starcraft [NZ]), three-year-old male; SHAMROCKER
(O’Reilly), three-year-old filly; Melbourne Cup (Aus-G1) winner AMERICAIN (Dynaformer),
stayer; ROCKET MAN (Viscount), Australian-bred international performer; and
LONHRO (Octagonal), sire.