The Making of A Thoroughbred

this is the dream of every breeder who ever conjured together the bloodlines and produced a foal it can take years of a horse's career for it fully to reveal what it's capable of there are no guarantees and cross your fingers and hope the reason the industry wakes before everybody else every morning of the year is the promise of a Black Caviar it's the wish of anybody who's ever been to a yearling sale and put their hand up for a bid it's the challenge fee every trainer who's ever let a juvenile rip into the wind for the first time at full gallop Black Caviar taken Australian racing back in time to its glory days and that was never more apparent than her final two runs on home soil all of Adelaide turned out with this sense of expectation this sense of formality but this sense of celebration in it it was truly something to behold race fans packed more for Ville to catch a glimpse of the famous race Hall now I'd be lying if I said it wasn't a little bit more tentative today get you know a world-record attack the excitement surrounding the attempt at a 20th consecutive winners building thereof and the most anticipated race this century is underway there on the home turn the anticipation is starting to build Black Caviar she's better than a perfect 10 14 straight 15 straight 16 straight 17 straight win number 18 but giving up 19 straight jeez put it over 20 Racing has been part of Australian culture since the very formation of our society there were thoroughbreds on the first fleet and the first race meeting here officially was staged in 1810 for the unbroken lineage of champion racehorses on these shores none had ever produced the magical streak of twenty and now Black Caviar goes back to the mother country to the very heart of the sport the wind on the place 22:9 ro LS what's one of the bucket lists destinations for people in racing bit of royal pomp and ceremony the Queen comes down the center of the track in the carriage later this week Black Caviar will contest the feature sprint of the royal meeting it's the Diamond Jubilee stakes and they're raising for history and prestige there's nothing to match royal asketh she'll come up against the best sprinters in Europe on all that we know and her status is the best sprinter in the world and the best sprinter of all time she should be winning this race there will be emotional I think for even the stranger will be sitting up late at night to watch Black Caviar win hopefully win and and but--but the problems at their own game horse racing at the most hallowed track in the world she'll be a name as strongly linked with racing as fallout as always been since filer has probably been a million horses born in Australia so you could probably safely say that Black Caviar won any minute the synergies are miserable and it is one of the most famous pieces of footage in an Australian archive is file that being winched up on the ship as he heads over for his career-defining win in the agua caliente oh please refer to the contract right Christopher Columbus he's going to discover America and now we know that he never came back it cost him his life that trip the great debut was the Australian duty viola one of the handsomest parts has ever seen on an American track I'm sure in some ways her trainer Peter moody would prefer that she could race her whole life here and establish these records but we have reached a moment where he has a world champion and it's time to go and confront and beat the world to forever enhance and protect her legacy it's just so exciting Rick's going to get a jacket made with a black jacket with salmon riding on the back and says I started it dot dot dot rick jamison has reshaped the industry in Australia he has bred the best horse of our lifetime the best horse since farlap he's made his money out of racing but not out of horses he's Harry the horror well I own a hiring company we duel up major hiring at the Melbourne Cup Carnival the Caulfield Cup Carnival and then through that you know you get to know the horse people and yeah just slowly slowly I got a bit of an interest he's an interesting character himself chain-smoker wears his jeans knock about sort of character but he's always had a passion for breeding racehorses I just wanted to breed great a great horse if I could you know breed and race a Melbourne Cup when I would have been my plan Rick Johnson hates the spotlight you'll hate the fact that I'm even so it's saying his name on TV you know he hates a spotlight but as I said to him you know there's people out there want to know they want to know the story they're intrigued by the Black Caviar story and they're and I want to know everything to do with it Rick and I met about 20 years ago he decided that he was going to take this industry by the neck and and try and reshape it and I thought oh here we go again here's another one I want to take her for a little walk please Rick would give you a list of horses that he'd selected on his theory in the early days and you'd get it on wanna throw it straight in the bin and then I'd go around look at these horses praying the next one is gonna be a nice one I started reading 15 years ago I think it took probably 10 years to learn and I think the last 5 years we've taken a big jump forward every night probably for 20 years he would study pedigrees look at international catalogs and find out reasons why horses would run and go back to six and seven eight generations and so he developed his own theory I don't think I can tell you what Rick Johnson's basic breeding theory is because I don't know then he wouldn't tell me well in 2005 I went to the Sydney yelling sale with my friend Peter Ford we looked around for a couple of years couldn't find one in frustration I flew home to Melbourne Peter continued to search and came up with an unnamed and raced horse bring me in Melbourne I looked at the pedigree and it was a must buy for us and we went ahead and bought it one of the other interested parties he was on his way to Sydney to bid on her and he's plane got stuck in a holding pattern as he tells me and he said if I had a been here you wouldn't have got it so I suppose that's just part of the part of things that happen you know you you get horses for a reason so for the sum of $115,000 this big injury-prone unraised mare is given the name he'll singe and taken to the northern victoria property of rick jamison and that's the genesis of the Black Caviar story so this is Black Caviar mum Helsing I do remember this mare when she arrived because she was so impressive from my Horseman's point of view when you look at how stingy just see a perfectly formed female horse not the most beautiful Muir you'd see you know but but just had everything that had a temperament had bone and had confirmation quality and really nicely balanced and I thought what a great brood mare prospect at the time I thought she was a difficult me to mate and that can happen and I spent you know a lot of time trying to make effective meetings we came up with the Bel Esprit as that as the best mating for her but Bel Esprit was unfashionable but he was absolutely gifted the story as a guys really is that nobody wanted it was left for sale after the options were over there's a lot of luck in the Black Caviar story with father Bel Esprit been a $9,000 yearling the majority of cheap horses are that occults become a little bit difficult to handle and majority of those horses are castrated Bel Esprit was imperfect and that's why he was cheap but it was the intangible ability that he had and he was a natural racehorses that's why he didn't get gilded along the way because he took to racing which with such a verb he's gone for the whip on Bell Esprit railings clear most people have never liked Bel Esprit legs he had a very very awkward running action if it would be the nicest thing he could probably say but but a cover ground and covered ground with great speed Bel Esprit holding on it bellows players want it Bel Esprit was an instant hit in racing circles not just because of his ability but because he was connected to sporting royalty in his ownership was the legendary AFL coach Kevin Sheedy we started a cult following because I mean Attell Esprit hadn't really been beaten in in his first year and when you see what happened Black Caviar obviously back heavy ass going on to magnificent success but belfry had a part of that for a while so for a nine thousand dollar purchase to go on to be a leading sire that's a rags-to-riches tale of the two the similarities between Black Caviar and what Bel Esprit has passed on to her is his masculinity and strength he's got a great ass a great hind quarter and a very good shoulder and if you have if you're fortunate enough to see Black Caviar she's got an ass like a bus and that phenomenal shoulder that that Bel Esprit has as well so you can see where all the power comes from the absolute amazing thing about her as if she'd never get her looks to be going more than about half pace well this is a very special paddock back in 2006 at 5:20 in the morning we had a very special foal in this very paddock and it was Black Caviar anyone might have owned Black Caviar but it was leading trainer Peter Moody who had his hand up for two hundred and ten thousand dollars at the yearling sales 170 there 170 170 Pete your turn the euro went to the Melbourne premier sales when I saw Black Caviar I instantly fell in love with her at 210 done well done I didn't have a client in mind but I quickly got on the phone and ring a couple up and I said we only want a fast one so they took me at my word I made sure we had a fast one I paid a moody thank you very much Pete Rohith they liked with that filly she just had a presence about a an action about her every time she took astride every part of her body moves it's like walking down the beach and seeing certain parts of someone's Anatomy wiggle or that and you just can't help yourself you get a turn around have a look to this day he doesn't regret selling buy caviar or says he doesn't but that he truly honestly is so happy for the people at owner I think yeah I would think he has great respect from his fellow breeders of being able to breed the best horse in the world we kept telling each other we made the best horse in the world the preparation has been meticulous Peter moody had countered back from the dates at Ascot how fit did she need to be and that meant a second run in Adelaide Black Caviar has arrived safely in Adelaide prime to extend her unbeaten race record to 21 consecutive wins she's in familiar territory now she knows her way around so I'm very happy with her 21 had a special feel to it cuz this was her Australian farewell for the time being great mares going to lead there's no pace on at all the good wood was the softest win of her career and just for a flick maybe at about the 200 we're we're gonna rock who ran second reached full momentum down the outside and Nolan wouldn't budge he was carrying out his instructions to an absolute t Nolan sits quietly down down the outside we're gonna rocks coming home we'll look and he looked from one to the other and thought does he know does he know this other horse is coming but that's how cautious they were with her there to have her ready for the arduous flight and then for the preparation in England they wanted the softest possible wind caviar the e-tron superstar of the world and that's 21 tonight I'm not a PI no don't worry about margins or someone she buddy wins that's all we put on a show for everyone it's never been about margins and records she's got the job done and the happy days and in the after the owners who were a little quite taken aback but curious as to why it was so soft they were telling the story that Peter moody had told them he'd told Nolan if you hit her I'll hit you when you get back I've been coming to the races since early 50s and bookie for 46 years and well I'll remember and now at least the equal of vine so probably be the equal best sprinter I've ever seen compare Black Caviar too far lap but it's not in the racing world we compare her to vain well anyone who can remember vain racing is just I don't like we'd seen anything since him until black ouvea but on top of the rise vain was a good six or seven lengths in front in the late 60s vain dominated sprint racing in Australia for decades no one would allow another horse to be put on the same pedestal as vain until now and the lovely part of the story is there's a blood connection between Fame and Black Caviar way they go and look Nolan hasn't released the brakes on the Great Bear out she goes she's three lengths in front now the Wonder Man the appearance of vane in black Caviar's pedigree on both sides is probably the reason I believe that she is so fast in layman's terms on her father's side vane is the great-grandfather and then on the mother side vane is the great-great-grandfather so we're going back away but in thoroughbred breeding it's all relatively close Vayne is coming away from special girl down past the Lydia races away three lengths vain who was bred by my grandfather from day one was a horse that had a lot of media attention cuz of his speed he's natural starting ability just get out there and fly when was the first horse my grandfather didn't have castrated and kept him as a stallion he saw something in him that he'd been obviously waiting for a long time to see because all the previous relations had all been killed so this is where you see things reinforcing through the generations and Australia's great sprinter begat Australia's greatest sprinter bring racehorses is an absolute gamble there's so many factors that are required to get a horse to the track and you need luck to go 100 percent your way the breeder of Black Caviar Rick Jamison is effectively living the dream right now Blake Avia's greatness has now spread from those directly involved with her those who have been blessed to have a share to train to ride to those who have been involved with their breeding and any horse with a connection to Black Caviar will be instantly recognizable I think to the generations that follow got that I just woke up look Megan is the horse manager if you like she runs all of the horses on the farm she's the most wonderful person she dedicates every waking moment to the horses this is the yiling half brother to black heavier and by reduced choice and yeah we think he's gonna be a race horse look he's got old on me it's cheeky tariqas xing relented he said it's not just breeding it's the mere you bought me Hellsing I think is turning into a special mare she each of her files and she's had five now she stamps them all it's like they come out of a mold Helsing has been a great mare she stands on her own since the history of what's happened in the last couple of years because she's produced some beautiful horses and they've been sold at the best price you could ever get thoroughbred brood mares produce one foul a year hell singes third foal went on to race is all too hard by the time he hit the yearling sales Black Caviar had won her first 11 starts he went for more than a million dollars all to hard Black Caviar little brother in gate seven racing in the size they focus on the family at that point was enormous I mean we had Black Caviar doing all the wonderful things that she was doing and then of course out of nowhere came all too hard down the outsiders all too hard starting a run on fairly well engine this year all too hard was the revelation all too hard on the outside starts to swap them and spread it straight past and boy he's good came out when his first three races in dominant style before being narrowly beaten at his fourth start so the focus really came back down on to the family and on to the mere and of course the next fall ladies gentlemen don't think back how often is the first achievers poorly they're the Easter sales in Sydney would boast to sell the best horse flesh on the Australian calendar and in lot 200 they had that else injures next foal the one to follow all too hard this is a big car mistake This Is It this is where you started in the business book where you just said stick close I need to get through this oh you won't believe how nervous I am you know after a while you just get a little numb and I'll wait and see I think I think the market will take care of it ladies the other one I doubt there's anything that I can say that can enhance the pedigree for the filling just come in the ring in front of us it was if the last diamond on earth was up for grabs and people just had to have it at any price in the world we have buyers from all over the world with interested in buying her obviously because she's so well related a half-sister to world champion Black Caviar and very very promising racehorse all to have what fueled the incredible sale was Rick Jameson's promise his vow that this was the last time a filly from hell singe would be offered for sale you can't buy Black Caviar if you want a piece of this legacy of this dynasty here it is and she went for 2.6 million dollars lays the numbers were going up I think once it passed the reserve really it was a blur to me you know I wasn't I wasn't focused on the numbers I was probably in a happy space right you're like just a little little minute Rick you know wanted to thank everybody involved he had sort of a bit of a thank-you speech I think he wanted to give and yeah that was that was the highlight for me yeah that was amazing yeah right back to the start there was Peter Ford found Zamir well done Pete everybody knows everybody knows he found the mierqis he tells everyone well you don't know someone that's - then came Black Caviar and Peter Moody then came the fall Verna folded down fantastic and then the foal came to the farm and I want to show you what we got and then came beggin now this is what this story's all about you saw that Megan everyday went out and rubbed its tendons and loosen its legs and got it standing properly and she nursed it and nursed earth and Leicester she was bit by bit she made his horse so this stories about meeting that was a bit of an outpouring I suppose it was after the sale I think that the stress of the lead into the sales was enormous and as much as I carried it on the farm Megan carried it it was quite emotional for all of us I think yeah relief biggest relief just to have it done and her sold and it all in one paste it was good for me the challenge now I want to do it again we sent Helsing back to Bella spray again this year and successfully she's involved we had her scanned and she's carrying a filly so there will be a full sister to Black Caviar so that's fairly exciting that's it oh that's it she's having a pregnancy test today so we can make sure everything's ticking along normally we probably monitor her pregnancy closer than anyone else just because obviously it's a pretty big deal if you know if any things went pear-shaped the eye it's the head of the field so she gets monitored with ultrasound routinely along with a few other choice mares we're just and just checking the placenta looks normal and that the Falls alive and doing everything normally oh it's always a relief when we check her and everything's alive and normal yeah now we just got a month-by-month basis so yeah it's all good rick jamison has accomplished the dream he's bred a world champion thoroughbred and he's got the beginnings of a racing dynasty now the story needs a conclusion he'll singes most famous foal Black Caviar has made the 30 hour trip to London she flew first-class clad in a tailor-made compression suit so everything that can be done has been done and now this moment of destiny draws near I'll believe the Ascot week and of course whenever black area rounds I get terribly nervous roaring for one of the threats of the world into the strategy I know now the couple of days leading into into Ascot I will be a bit of a wreck I don't sleep and I don't eat and my friends don't talk to me because they know I won't talk to them and when she races and she wins then I'm riding him but it does it takes a lot from me we've got to stay back and look after the horses so we can't go we're getting a bunch of friends together and we're going to have a Black Caviar slumber party here at the farm so that we can watch the race and sort of be as close to the action as we can I'll be right where I am probably just over there on the couch watching that TV hoping like hell that she acquits herself in the manner that we all think for me Black Caviar is now protected against defeat none of this can be raised this turning back of time the drawing of tens of thousands of people to racetracks to see one particular horse the streak twenty one lives forever whether there's a defeat at the end of it or not it is the stretch with in the history of Australian racing it is a world landmark that can't be taken away the idea of perfection is cherished it is sought if she could live up to that as well that's immortality but nothing not two feet from here would reduce the story that we've lived through Black Caviar stands poised and away she bounced beautifully with them I'm at the to feel long Marc Nolan starts to ease Black Caviar along she goes up to claim Solan Krypton factor Black Caviar she tears the Europeans to keep up Black Caviar lengths in front of the cheeks hanging on moonlight clad with a lake - it'll let Kevon knows she's crowned her career at Royal Ascot hanging on in front of the Queen

Channel: Journeyman Pictures

Views: 131,720

Rating: 4.775475 out of 5

Keywords: journeyman pictures, news, current affairs, world news, documentary, world, UK, GB, England, Australia, Ascot, horse, race, racing, horse racing, horseracing, breeding, thoroughbred, bloodline, black, caviar, royal, queen

Id: aYNIOcK6h_w

Length: 27min 33sec (1653 seconds)

Published: Fri Jul 22 2016