Helen Kroger (Victoria, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

History was made on Saturday, 23 June 2012, when the world witnessed the making of a racing record that will endure for decades to come. It was at 3.45 pm London time, 12.45 pm Melbourne time, in the Diamond Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot. The equine queen, Black Caviar, world champion of the sprint, won her 22nd race out of 22 starts in a nail-biting finish by a nose. It was a defining moment not just in racing history but also for the Australian history books.

In our formative years in primary school, we were all educated in the history of Phar Lap—his muscular power, strength, bravery and endurance on the race track, his unique relationship with his strapper Tommy Woodcock and his owner-trainer Harry Telford, and his mysterious death in California in 1932. Phar Lap is a part of Australian folklore and will be for all time. So too is the Australian conquest of the America's Cup back in 1983 when Australia II beat the Yanks at their own sport. We can all remember where we were as we watched the final heat with John Bertrand at the helm, and the former Prime Minister, Mr Bob Hawke, claiming after the win, 'I tell you what: any boss who sacks a worker for not turning up to work today is a bum.'

Black Caviar has not only joined distinguished company by carving out her place in Australian history but has captured the hearts and minds of us all. She is a beautiful five-year-old mare with a huge heart and quiet and calm temperament that makes her unique. The wonderful story that has become a legend and will be part of Australian history for years to come starts with an annual pilgrimage of a few old friends and family on a houseboat on the Murray River. A small group of middle class Australians, whose parents were market gardeners or small farmers, spent a long weekend each year catching up. Whilst cooking sausages on the barbeque with a glass of Australian wine, they decided to have a bit of fun and buy a horse together. The horse they bought was a filly recommended to them by the canny trainer Peter Moody at the 2008 Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale. The owners—Neil Werrett, Colin and Jannene Madden, Pam Hawkes, Gary and Kerryn Wilkie, and David and Jill Taylor—came up with the name following Pam Hawkes's suggestion on the basis of the mare's Scandinavian pedigree, with Helsinge the dam of the then filly, and Pam's enjoyment of caviar and seafood. The salmon-and-black dot trademark and jockey silks followed.

Peter Moody and the owners knew they had found something special after the first few Group 1 meetings. She has blitzed the field in Australia at 21 meetings, including 11 Group 1 meetings, by many lengths and at numerous racetracks, including Caulfield, Flemington, Mooney Valley, Randwick, Doomben and Morphettville. With the attendance at racetracks on the decline over the last few years with people turning to live telecasts in their homes, Black Caviar has been the drawcard that has seen general racetrack attendances rise by 15 per cent and more than double that when she is actually running—and with good reason. She has set the record for the longest winning streak in world racing for 150 years.

It was easy to be captured by the excitement of the thousands at Federation Square in Melbourne who gathered to watch the telecast of the Royal Ascot Diamond Jubilee stakes, not deterred by a frigid Melbourne winter's night. It was just as extraordinary to see London, in the lead-up to the Olympic Games, turn on the biggest reception for this mare from Down Under and her unassuming owners, trainer and minders. The media followed her from her morning exercises in the foggy and crisp mornings to her tired and sore return from the winning post at Ascot. Whilst many critics have analysed and deconstructed the race, Black Caviar showed that she had what it took to be first past the post even when tired and clearly sore.

In watching her race in the last 18 months, I have been struck by the extraordinary connection that her jockey of 18 races, Luke Nolan, has with her. Whilst I do not profess to know anything about horse racing, you can sense the affinity they have when he rides her and the enormous respect he has for her. At no time has this been more evident then when he asked her to dig deep and find the power in the last couple of lengths that saw her win Ascot by a nose. He asked and she gave. Luke Nolan has been on her back for 18 wins and should be given much credit for her success. Her trainer, Peter Moody, identified that she was something special and is responsible for turning her into the champion she is. Peter is a quintessential Australian, unassuming, happier at the track at five in the morning than giving media interviews, of which he has had to give many—but he is accomplished at that as well.

I was one of those, along with my 88-year-old mother, who sat up and watched every length of that six-furlong race. I felt like I had run it with her, and there were thousands like me who held their breath every step of the way. I know first-hand how difficult the decision was for the owners to risk all and put her on a plane to London, because it was shared with me. They have embraced their family and friends, including them in this once-in-a-lifetime experience. They are humble, they are unassuming, they are incredibly proud and they are quintessentially Australian. Last Sunday morning was a rare moment for me as I watched my brother and his wife accept the world's premier racing trophy from Her Majesty the Queen.