Former top Flat racehorse Black Caviar has been put down at the age of 18 owing to laminitis.

The Australian mare, who won all 25 of her starts including 15 Group Ones, amassing nearly $7.5m AUD in prize money, captured the hearts of many. One of her most notable victories came when landing the Diamond Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot in 2012. The daughter of Bel Espirit was crowned European champion sprinter that year and in 2013 she was ranked the world’s best racehorse.

Following her retirement in 2013, Black Caviar became a broodmare and she produced nine foals. She was put down shortly after foaling a Snitzel colt on Saturday (17 August).

Black Caviar’s trainer Peter Moody explained on Saturday: “She had a milk infection about a week ago and we just treated it like you do with all broodmares. But, like a lot of treatments, it went straight to her feet.

“She had the foal this morning, a colt foal by Snitzel, and they put her down shortly after that on humane grounds.”

Peter said it was “impossible” to not get attached to horses.

“I sat in the car and cried for an hour. I rang all the staff and told them. They were all very upset.”

There was further tragedy when connections of Black Caviar released a statement this morning (19 August) stating that her colt foal had died on Sunday night.

“He received around the clock, world-class veterinary care but unfortunately could not be saved,” the statement said. “The ownership group would like to thank the entire veterinary team who dedicated their time and efforts to caring for Black Caviar and her colt.

“The ownership group would also like to acknowledge and thank the Australian public and the racing public globally for the many tributes to Black Caviar. She was much-loved and admired.”

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Black Caviar retires unbeaten after 25 wins

Australian mare Black Caviar has retired from racing unbeaten after 25 wins

Racehorse Black Caviar stars on cover of Vogue Australia

Unbeaten Black Caviar has become the first horse to star on the cover of Vogue Australia

Black Caviar wins at Royal Ascot, extending her unbeaten run to 22

Australian super mare Black Caviar won her 22nd consecutive race, winning the Diamond Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot

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Black Caviar has given birth to a colt by Sebring.

The popular Australian racemare retired unbeaten in 2013 after 25 consecutive wins.

This is the nine-year-old mare’s second foal. Her first, a filly by Exceed And Excel, was born on 12 September last year.

The colt was delivered in the Hunter Valley, New South Wales, today (Thursday, 24 September).

His sire Sebring, by More Than Ready, is a 10-year-old chestnut stallion whose progeny include Group One winners Dissident and Criterion.

During his racing career, his wins included the Group One Golden Slipper at Rosehill Gardens racecourse, Sydney, in 2008.

He is currently ranked 15th in Australia’s leading stallion directory.

Black Caviar, known as “Nelly”, won 15 Group One races before her retirement and made the trip over to the UK in 2012 to run at Royal Ascot.

She won the Diamond Jubilee Stakes by a head to Moonlight Cloud. She then had eight months off as it was found that she had torn a muscle.

Black Caviar made a winning return in February 2013 in the Black Caviar Lightning Stakes at Flemington racecourse, Melbourne.

Her final run was in the TJ Smith Stakes at Randwick racecourse, Sydney, in April that year. She was ridden by jockey Luke Nolen in all but three of her races.

At the time of her retirement trainer Peter Moody said Black Caviar had done “everything they have asked her to do”.

“We thought long and hard about racing on but believe she has done everything we asked of her and felt it was the right time to call time on her wonderful career,” he told press at the time.

“She brought interest to our sport that hasn’t been there for decades.”

The mare, by Bel Espirit and out of Helsinge, also made history in 2012 when she became the first horse to feature on the cover of Australian Vogue.

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The likelihood is that the new royal baby girl will have a fair amount of toys heading her way to celebrate her long awaited arrival. But if she’s anything like her polo-loving father, eventing legend great aunt or racing-mad great granny, our pick of horsey toys will be the only ones that she is actually interested in playing with.

And with so many of the world’s equine stars now immortalised as toys — most recently Valegro — there couldn’t be a better way to get the new baby familarised with the big names of our sport. The only problem will be keeping Prince George’s hands off his younger sister’s toys…

1. A Toytown rocking horse

What better way to give the new baby a subtle hint that eventing is in the blood than by splashing out on this rocking horse version of Zara Phillips‘ Toytown? Even his white spots have been faithfully reproduced.

Visit: www.rockinghorses.uk.net

2. A Mistral Hojris Breyer toy

This Breyer model of dressage sensation Laura Tomlinson‘s (née Bechtolsheimer) Olympic gold medallist Mistral Hojris will be a helpful reminder to the baby girl of Britain’s success at the London 2012 Olympic Games in years to come.

Visit: www.breyerhorses.com

Continued below…

9 rocking horses every child (and many adults) would love to own

If a pony is at the top of your child's wish list, but you aren't in a position to fulfill

3. A Denman jigsaw puzzle

This Denman puzzle from the Injured Jockeys Fund is one to be tucked away in the cupboard for the new baby to play with when she’s older. But it will be worth the wait when she can spend hours piecing together the National Hunt star.

Visit: shop.ijf.org.uk

4. A Frankel Breyer toy

Honour the unbeaten racehorse with a Breyer model. When the baby girl is old enough to know that the Sir Henry Cecil-trained Frankel won all 14 out of 14 starts, she will be glad to have this legend among her toys.

Visit: www.breyerhorses.com

5. A Black Caviar soft toy

Black Caviar in her soft toy format will make the perfect companion as the baby girl has sweet dreams about the superstar mare soaring past the finishing line.

Visit: www.blackcaviarshop.com.au

Diclaimer: Please note that these toys may not be suitable for new born babies.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Graduates of the British Racing School can have the chance to spend four months with a trainer in South Africa or Australia.

Applications are now open for the Fred Packard Scholarship for graduates of the Newmarket school.

Trainers in the UK are urged to nominate eligible staff members.

The scholarship winner will spend up to four months with one of the country’s leading trainers to gain valuable experience of life in a racing yard, with travel, salary and an expenses allowance provided under the terms of the prize.

Recent winners of the Fred Packard Scholarship include Laura Morgan, an employee of Chris Bealby, and Catrin Eynon, from Colin Tizzard’s yard. Both spent time in Australia with Black Caviar’s trainer Peter Moody.

Visit: www.brs.org.uk

This news story was first published in H&H magazine on 18 September 2014

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Australian superstar racehorse Black Caviar has been retired unbeaten after 25 consecutive wins.

The seven-year-old mare’s last run was on Saturday (13 April) at Randwick, Sydney, when she won the TJ Smith Stakes — recording her 15th Group One victory.

The daughter of Bel Esprit had become a household name in her native Australia, and British racing fans had been looking forward to a possible return to UK soil this summer.

Black Caviar won the Diamond Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot by just a head last summer. However, it was found she had torn a muscle and spent eight months off when she famously put on some “holiday weight”.

Trainer Peter Moody was confident she’d get back in shape — and she made a winning return to the track in February in the Black Caviar Lightning Stakes.

Moody announced today (Wednesday 17 April) that she would be retired and have a break, before a breeding career.

“She has done everything we have asked her to do,” Moody told press.

“We thought long and hard about racing on but believe she has done everything we asked of her and felt it was the right time to call time on her wonderful career.

“She’s in great shape and that’s the way we wanted her to bow out. We just thought the time was right — it was a hard decision.

“After Ascot we were going to retire, but in the finish we got three more runs out of her.

“She brought interest to our sport that hasn’t been there for decades.”

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Feel like you’ve put on a few pounds after the Christmas excess? Fear not, you’re in good company.

Australian supermare Black Caviar has bulked up and can reportedly no longer fit into the famous compression suit that she wore to travel to England in June 2012.

The hefty mare has tipped the scales at 610kg — 70kg more than her racing weight last summer, after six months off.

“She’s always been a ‘good doer’,” part-owner Pam Hawkes told H&H after her visit to Royal Ascot.

“She has a bit of a weight issue — she’d be like ‘Ten-Tonne Tessie’ in a flash if you let her.”

The unbeaten mare — who has won 22 races in a row — hasn’t run since Royal Ascot in June and is due to contest the Black Caviar Lightning Stakes at Flemington on 16 February.

There will be a lot of work to bring her back in to shape.

But trainer Peter Moody gallantly leapt to her defence, saying: “She’s not fat, she’s just a bit overweight.”

This news story was first published in the current issue of H&H (17 January 2013)

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Unbeaten racehorse Black Caviar has hit newsstands in Australia — as the cover model of Vogue’s December issue.

Usually the domain of supermodels and actresses, this is the first time in Vogue Australia’s 53-year history that a horse has starred on the magazine’s cover.

Black Caviar, or Nelly as she’s known at home, has won 22 races in a row. She was photographed by Benny Horne for the cover alongside Australian model Julia Nobis.

And due to the massive interest in the mare, the magazine has even been forced to bring its on sale date forward — to 2 November, the eve of Derby Day of the Melbourne Cup Carnival in Australia.

The feature inside has an interview with the mare’s trainer Peter Moody and her owners, as well as more photos of Nelly.

In her editor’s letter in the magazine, Vogue editor-in-chief Edwina McCann writes: “Black Caviar certainly knows when the lens is focused on her, and it’s terrific to celebrate her beauty, rather than just her speed.”

Black Caviar was last seen on the racetrack when she ran, and won, in the Diamond Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot in June. She was later found to have sustained an injury during the race and had the summer off, with the aim of running her again next year, if she is ready.

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Black Caviar is to head back to Australia for a three-month break after incurring an injury while winning her 22nd consecutive race on Saturday (23 June).

The unbeaten mare was confirmed to have some soft tissue damage after narrowly winning the Diamond Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot.

Trainer Peter Moody described her as “very flat” but played down any rumours of retirement.

She will spend 14 days in quarantine in Britain before heading home to Australia, where she will spend a further fortnight in quarantine. Prior to her Ascot race connections had discussed running her in the July Cup at Newmarket.

Moody reported the mare had been thoroughly examined by vets since the race and had some soft tissue damage.

He added that she was “quite sore behind”, having injured her quadriceps muscle, and that she would now be having a three-month break.

If all goes to plan she will be aimed at the Patinack Farm Classic in Melbourne in November, which she has already won twice, and then possibly at a sprint in Hong Kong.

The Bel Esprit mare won by just a head to Moonlight Cloud in a nail-biting race, after jockey Luke Nolen eased off before the line. The jockey later admitted a “brain fade” and that he had “underestimated the tough track”.

And the owners of Black Caviar said they won’t be rushed into making any decisions about her future.

“Unfortunately England or Europe didn’t see the best of Black Caviar,” part owner Neil Werrett told At The Races.

“At the same time, we’re very thankful she won and she needs a bit of a rest now. We want to look after her and she did a great job.

“She’s a high maintenance horse and we want to make sure she’s well before she goes to race again. That’s something we’ll reassess in three or four weeks’ time.”

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Nicknamed “the wonder from Down Under”, can top Australian racehorse Black Caviar extend her unbeaten run to 22?

“Nelly”, as she’s known at home, is due to run in the Diamond Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot tomorrow (Saturday 23 June, 3.45pm, BBC One).

The mare is unbeaten in her native Australia and is a global superstar – boasting her own range of memorabilia in her salmon pink and black polka dot colours.

More than 4,000 Australian racing fans are expected at Ascot to see her run. She’s up against 14 opponents and is currently 1-3 favourite.

But what else is there to know about this five-year-old 16.2hh thoroughbred mare by Bel Esprit out of Helsinge? Part-owner Pam Hawkes tells H&H more…

What’s she like as a horse?

“She’s lovely and is very laid back. Before a race she’s virtually dozing and I often think she’s so casual she can’t possibly wake up enough to win. But she’s all business once she’s on the track. At home her best friend is a goat called Billy, who she lives with when she’s out in the field She’s very gentle and has a sweet temperament, but she’s definitely the boss. She likes being out with her friend, but she goes out less as she gets older. She has a bit of a weight issue – she’s such a good doer she’d be like “Ten-Tonne Tessie” in a flash if you let her. [She weighs more than Denman aka “The Tank”].”

What’s the story behind her name?

“Black Caviar is pretty classy stuff, and she’s a pretty classy mare. It was very democratic – we all submitted names and my suggestion was chosen. She’s out of a mare called Helsinge, a place in Denmark. And Helsinge’s out of a mare called Scandinavia, who was out of Song Of Norway. Going along those lines, sturgeon and salmon swim in the cold water around Scandinavia to lay their eggs, so Black Caviar seemed apt. The name epitomises quality.”

How does it feel to own her?

“We’re amazed byher every time she runs. I wouldn’t swap her for the world – she’s the best thing that’s ever happened to us. And the supports she’s received is wonderful. She’s not just our horse – she’s Australia’s horse.”

Read more about Black Caviar in our Firsts & Lasts feature in the current issue of H&H (21 June, 2012)

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The first day of Royal Ascot is always the best.

Walking through the gates to the racecourse, it all feels mint-fresh, shiny, squeaky-clean. The track is a perfect, virgin sward. Everyone is beaming, and wearing their favourite outfit of the ones selected for the week.

No one’s feet are yet sore beyond endurance. No one has yet failed to train or ride a winner. No horse has yet disappointed the collective expectations lumped up on it. No one has lost a fortune. No one has had a drunken row with their wife/husband/offspring.

This year, the first half an hour of the party was the best. After Frankel flashed past the post in a scintillating demonstration of his superiority, everything that followed was inevitably tamer. Not a let-down – a card that bangs in three Group Ones and the most significant two-year-old race of the season so far in quick succession could never be that – but less taxing on the heart-rate.

The greatest race-meeting in the world (yes, this may be H&H heresy but it’s better than Cheltenham – less call for thermal underwear) is shaped like a wave this year. The two peaks are Frankel on Tuesday and the mighty Black Caviar on the final day, Saturday.

The wonder from down under will have to go some to equal Frankel’s stunning effort – not that it appeared effortful at all. Will we ever see him stretched the max in a duel?

Black Caviar should be able to beat the opposition with just as much ease. Any prospect of a match between these two horses, rated the best in the world, has vanished, which is not necessarily a bad thing.

Yes, the point of horseracing is to find “the best”, but when two horses are so utterly different and would have to step so far out of their comfort zone to do battle, it seems better to celebrate the two champions without quibbling. How very lucky we are to have them at all, let alone racing in the same week at the same racecourse.

Black Caviar is a national heroine at home in Australia, feted like the top athlete she is. The coverage of Frankel’s Ascot performance unsurprisingly was drowned in the ocean that is the press’s obsession with our mediocre football team. Frankel does not dive, choke or “enhance” his performance with dubious substances. He is the supreme British athlete, and should be honoured as such.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now