Australia’s horse racing community yesterday was mourning the death of champion thoroughbred Black Caviar, who died on the eve of her 18th birthday.
The horse passed away on Saturday, the day before she would have turned 18, her ownership group said.
Black Caviar was unbeaten in all 25 races she ran before retiring in 2013 and is widely considered one of the greatest sprinters in horse racing.
Photo: AFP
“Today’s news is a shock to us all. Black Caviar was more than a champion racehorse, she was an important part of life for many people,” Victoria Racing Club chairman Neil Wilson said in a statement on Saturday. “She was simply the best.”
One of Black Caviar’s most famous victories was in England at Royal Ascot, where she took the 2012 Diamond Jubilee Stakes in a dramatic finish.
“She was a remarkable horse who gave us all the ride of a life time and wonderful memories,” said Peter Moody, who trained the mare to 15 Group One wins in Australia and England.
Black Caviar had been suffering from illness, Moody told Racing.com.
The horse was euthanized at the Scone Equine Clinic, near Newcastle, after giving birth.
“She had lost circulation in her fore legs. The only humane thing to do was to put her to sleep, unfortunately, which was very sad,” Moody added.
Jockey Luke Nolan, who rode Black Caviar to the majority of her wins, said he felt fortunate to have been “part of her wonderful career.”
“Most riders would give their right arm to get a chance to be a part of chapter of racing history like I was,” Nolan told Fox Sports. “It’s a little bit of a hollow feeling, a blur, because she meant a lot to us.”
Additional reporting by Reuters
Taiwanese badminton superstar Lee Yang broke down in tears after publicly retiring from the sport on Sunday. The two-time Olympic gold medalist held a retirement ceremony at the Taipei Arena after the final matches of the Taipei Open. Accompanied by friends, family and former badminton partners, Lee burst into tears while watching a video celebrating key moments in his professional sporting career that also featured messages from international players such as Malaysia’s Teo Ee Yi, Hong Kong’s Tang Chun-man, and Indonesia’s Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan. “I hope that in the future when the world thinks about me, they will
Former Formosa Dreamers player Ilkan Karaman was killed in a traffic accident in Datca, Turkey, Turkish media reported yesterday. He was 34. The former Turkish national team player was reportedly hit by a car, the driver of which was allegedly drunk, while he was standing on a sidewalk, Turkish newspaper Sozcu reported. Karaman and his friends were on their way to the beach town of Dalaman to go scuba diving when they stopped at a gas station to buy gasoline, it reported. Karaman was hit by the car while waiting on a sidewalk as his friends were buying gasoline, it
ANKLE PROBLEM: Taiwan’s Ye Hong-wei and Lee Chia-hsin had a disappointing end to their tournament after an injury forced them out of their mixed doubles semi-final Taiwanese badminton ace Tai Tzu-ying on Friday was knocked out in the women’s singles quarter-finals at her last Taipei Open. The world No. 3 lost 21-18, 16-21, 22-24 to Putri Kusuma Wardani of Indonesia in a match that stretched 68 minutes at the Taipei Arena. Despite her higher ranking, Tai said she was not too sad about the loss, given her struggle with a lingering knee injury. “Wins and losses are just part of the game. Actually, I think I’m going to lose every single match considering my condition now,” said the five-time champion of the Super 300 event, who has announced plans
When details from a scientific experiment that could have helped clear Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva landed at the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), the leader of the organization’s reaction was unequivocal: “We have to stop that urgently,” he wrote. No mention of the test ever became public and Valieva’s defense at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) went on without it. What effect the information could have had on Valieva’s case is unclear, but without it, the skater, then 15 years old, was eventually disqualified from the 2022 Winter Olympics after testing positive for a banned heart medication that would later