“The owners and myself have had a long chats for the past couple of days [and] this afternoon at lunchtime we decided 25 was a great number,” Moody said when he made the announcement at Caulfield racecourse.
“Collectively we decided the mare’s in great shape, we thought long and hard about racing over the international season.
“I think in our wisdom we thought, ‘what else can we achieve?’ We don’t want to do anything wrong by the horse.
The final 400 meters of each race, with call, including her win by a nose at Ascot – running injured.
Hats off to the connections of this wonderful mare for keeping her sound and racing for as long as they did. The sport needs more sportsmen like that instead of the ones who retire the horses after a two year campaign.
Unfortunately not all horses are as tractable as Black Caviar. Watch the incredible journey of Spicer Cub as he opens up a comfortable lead but then bolts on the final turn letting other horses gain the lead inside him. He then battles back to the lead only to shy from something at the eighth pole where he ducks out so badly that the jockey, who I am sure is fearing for his life, actually takes him through a gap between the outside fence and the starting gate that is on the track. The horse suddenly reappears in the picture and charges to the wire only to lose by a head.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbH3N5VJzBE
We sure could use a little bit of good news today.
True. Sometimes it’s amazing that nothing has changed since this song in 1983.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTJcchmKhPw
Been hooked on horses since 6 years old first time I got bucked off onto a stone pile. But really paid attention to horse racing when Northern Dancer made his play. His was an amazing story as well.
Here is Northern Dancer at 2011 meters or 1 1/4m. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjA3-P3hpAY
Kate & TimR: thanks for that link. I needed a positive distraction today. Not really into racing at all, although I’ve been to Ascot once. But the beauty of Black Caviar’s wins and Spicer Cub’s unusual run were wonderful distractions.