Black Caviar Looked Awful?

You certainly do Tlazz. To be fair though - the competition in the Racing Section leaves a bit to be desired 

Has she just foaled a filly to Written Tycoon ??   Or have I got that wrong  ??

TOLEDO wrote: 2nd best Bel Esprit might be Bel Sprinter?

Who was the second best Bel Esprit? Black Caviar is the Powerball Bel Esprit- incredible fluke. Division2 pays $95,000.

The article with the picture said the same furious - the filly is big and strong and looks like mum.

Its hard to believe she has been off the track that long !!!!

See she has another filly.  By I Am Invincible.

I give up.  Haylist was a great galloper.  Black Caviar was great mare who through thick and think remained unbeaten.  Why do we have to say anything against her.  It's not belittling Haylist he has a great record but he couldn't beat her.  Not that he ever stopped trying his great heart out.

Yawn.

From memory she backed up back from the 1400 metres of the Orr to the 1000 metre Lightning in the space of 7 days. If they were looking for easy wins or soft kills I can think of easier ways to go about it, particularly against a horse as great as Hay List.

She was well placed. The argument she avoided Hay List is spurious. She also avoided being beaten by not being run in the Cox Plate. But hey.....who knows?

Possibly Gay3 would know a bit more than me on subjects like this.  But I think every horse has issues which the trainers keep a close eye on.  An athlete usually has a few niggles.  A top athlete who time and time again goes above the call has to have some niggles.  Black Caviar was built like a bouncer all muscle etc.  But she wasn't the build that glides over the turf or is light and wiry.  She pulled muscles on more than one occasion etc.  With her bulk she must of felt her racing.  So yes a trainer says one thing and hopes.  They know they are treating the problem and it is responding or something the horse can carry and race with.  But if they say anything then the public would of called for a stop immediately.  So do we leave it to the trainers and their vets to say - yes they can race - or do we just know best!  I kind of believe him.  He spent the whole of Black Caviar's career chain smoking.  I think the pressure was there and he carried that so the rest of us could enjoy a marvelous sprint mare.

Hoof filler is merely to hold the shoe on. It would cause Winx no more discomfort than false fingernails would a person. There's a huge difference between managing the wear and tear of these high performance equine athletes and sending out a structurally unsound horse to perform for you. I've spent a lot of time defending racing against the wild eyed animal welfare types who thankfully obsess on all the wrong, and easily defendable, issues like the whip for example. This particular issue I can't defend . I know how hard the good ones try for you and it's seem like the ultimate betrayal to me.

djebel wrote: Gay3 wrote: Baguette wrote: I suppose we're supposed to admire him or something but the obvious question is why did you keep racing her if she was that unsound? Hope you enjoyed the glory putting her out there. That sort of exploitation makes me sick, but hey I love horses! During the conversation, Terry Bailey was incredulous as to what issues are dealt with to keep these horses going & he then quoted Hawkes had told him very similar about Octagonal. There was no embellishment or chest beating, simply stating facts & what an amazing mare she was. I think the general public would be astonished by much of what occurs in racing stables, large & small. So far through the wonderful career of Winx a hair has not been out of place. It will be interesting to hear 5 years down the track if that was in fact the cace ? I know with Black Caviar she got a back injury in her Danehill victory however after that the only thing I remember was being told constantly that should there be any issue at all they would pull up stumps. I realise they have to keep mum due Stewards overreacting in Australia but they were insistent in the UK that all was fine and anything bad and she would not run.