Black Caviar is now worth her weight in black caviar.
The world’s top-rated horse took her career prize money to $3.2 million with a blistering finish in the TJ Smith Stakes at Randwick.
That’s about the same as her value by weight at the cost of real caviar, around $6000 a kilogram for the highest grade.
The hulking galloper hits the scales at 575 kilos, or $3.45 million in caviar terms.
So her 12th victory from 12 starts makes her worth her weight in the finest sturgeon’s roe, give or take a spoonful for each of the 25,000-plus spectators who gave her a standing ovation on Saturday.
And there’s plenty more Beluga where that came from, as the four-year-old mare’s owners eye riches abroad for their miracle sprinter.
Black Caviar, an almost unbackable favourite at $1.14, gave connections a few palpitations early in Saturday’s $1 million Group One race, but mowed down Hay List 100 metres from home and won the $600,000 first prize going away.
“She takes your breath away,” said jockey Luke Nolen, whose biggest complaint is that his rides on Black Caviar don’t last long enough.
“She is a once in a lifetime horse.”
Neil Werrett, one of five owners who have already had their $200,000 price tag repaid 16 times in prize money, said: “She has been brilliant for all of us.
“She continues to defy gravity.”
Trainer Peter Moody paid tribute to the crowds who flocked to see the most talked about horse in Australian racing.
“It’s great to see how well she has been received,” Moody said.
“She has put our sport back to the forefront where it belongs.”
“She is a hero horse and a people’s horse,” Australian Turf Club CEO Darren Pearce said.
“Everyone is getting on board the Black Caviar express.”
It was the first time Black Caviar had raced outside Victoria, but going the “wrong way round” didn’t seem to bother her one bit.
She dominated the day to such an extent that she grabbed all the limelight from Shamrocker, ridden by Glen Boss, who became the first filly in more than two decades to win the the feature race, the $1.5 million Australian Derby.
Helmet’s victory in the other Group One race, the 1400m Sires’ Produce Stakes, gave trainer Peter Snowden, the Darley stable and jockey Kerrin McEvoy the second leg of Sydney’s autumn triple crown for two-year-olds after Sepoy’s Golden Slipper triumph last week.
But no matter what anyone else did, the day belonged to Black Caviar.
AAP TURF
