Everything stopped for Black Caviar

Perth, Saturday 28 April 2012

It was Saturday afternoon; Georgie and Taia were in front of the goggle-box watching Mary Poppins. I would say mesmerised, but Taia was feeling too poorly to be interested in anything and Georgie is currently the six year old cynic and is determined to not suspend her belief and immerse herself in a film for the sake of the film. Admittedly Mary Poppins is a very hard film to believe in at all, with its hammed-up acting and Dick van Dyke’s ludicrous mockney accent, but it’s far more fun if you go with it.

For the purposes of a good story, I shall posit that the next occurrence took place mid-song whilst Georgie was humming away with Julie Andrews; one moment we were on a soot-blackened London skyscape with a brush of singing chimney sweeps and the next we were in the sunshine at Adelaide racecourse. The final few horses were being loaded into the stalls for the Sportingbet Classic. The field included the celebrated superstar Black Caviar, who was attempting to break a domestic record by winning her twentieth consecutive race.

As Daddy would put it, this mare is a legend in her own lunchtime. Everyone in Australia knows her name. They all know that she runs in pink and black. They all know that she’s won 19 consecutive races, and not just won them, but annihilated the field. They all know that she’s heading to Royal Ascot in June for the Diamond Jubilee Stakes. I’ll wager they’ll all be up in the middle of the night to watch her, too; it’s just as well that the Diamond Jubilee is on a Saturday.

And she even gets to interrupt children’s films on a Saturday afternoon so that everyone can watch her.

She won going away. Luke Nolen gave her one tap behind to keep her interested and changed his hands once. That was win number 20. She’s impressive. She’s more than impressive, in fact. She’s captivated a nation and ignited a passion for racing. She’s exactly what racing needs, here, and at home, in France, and in the States. I’ve had equine heroes since I was a little girl and used to run home from school to watch Desert Orchid. Everyone should have one.

We have no idea if she travels–she’s never been on a plane before now–so how she’ll perform at Royal Ascot is anyone’s guess, but I’ll be able to say that I was watching Mary Poppins when everything stopped for Black Caviar.