Australia's darling racemare Black Caviar (Aus) (Bel Esprit {Aus}), who carved out a reputation as being one of the world's best sprinters following an unbeaten 25-race career, has died one day shy of her 18th birthday following laminitis disease.
The winner of 15 Group 1 races was humanely euthanised at the Scone Equine Hospital on Saturday morning after giving birth to a foal.
“You don't think it affects you, but you are being stupid not to think it doesn't,” her trainer Peter Moody told reporters at Caulfield, as reported by Racing.com.
“It's impossible not to get attached to most animals, let alone one like her. She had the foal this morning, a colt foal by Snitzel and they put her down shortly after that on humane grounds.
“They scanned her feet yesterday and there was no blood flow at all to her feet. There was minimum blood flow to her feet anyhow but there was none and she's such a big girl. I rang all the staff and told them. They were all very upset.”
Black Caviar was added to the Australian Racing Hall of Fame after retiring in 2013, amassing nearly $8 million for prize-money. But perhaps she will be best remembered in Europe for her victory in the 2012 Diamond Jubilee Stakes, where a stunningly-cool Luke Nolen stopped riding towards the finish, with the 1-6 favourite holding on to win by just a head from the fast-finishing Moonlight Cloud.
Nolen, who guided Black Caviar to the majority of her wins, commented, “It's a hollow feeling. You could say she was just a horse, but she was more than a horse and that's why we're feeling a bit blue. She meant a great deal to us.
“She was an integral part of my career but, more importantly, she was so important for racing itself. She was one of our equine heroes. It was great to be a part of her story, but I always felt a bit guilty because anyone could've done the job.”
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