BREEDING
HORSES don't read pedigrees but in the countdown to Black Caviar's first attempt at a distance further than 1200 metres, her family tree makes interesting reading for people looking for a reason why she will not win her 18th consecutive race today.
If she had been more precocious, she might have put the issue to bed quickly by winning a race like the AJC Sires' Produce at two, or if not injured, perhaps the Thousand Guineas. But after 17 wins the query remains.
Her female family was introduced to Australia by leading owner-breeder David Hains in 1990. Fifteen years earlier, Hains had imported two mares from Italy and Germany to produce the great Kingston Town and AJC Oaks winner Lowan Star, but in this instance he did not enjoy the same success.
Black Caviar's fourth dam, Love Song, won the Danish Oaks and was runner-up in the Swedish Oaks before being imported by Hains, but at stud in Australia she produced only four named foals and none could manage a win, despite being by sires such as champions Vain and Bletchingly.
But Hains and later others persisted with considerable success and Love Song's descendants have produced nine stakes winners, including Black Caviar. The first of those was Muirfield Village, a son of Bletchingly mare Song Of Kingston, who won the group 2 Hill Stakes and ran second to Redding in the Victoria Derby.
He might have been able to win over a trip, as did one other, Midnight Sun, a daughter of Western Symphony and Bletchingly mare Song Of Norway, who won the listed STC Winter Cup at 2400 metres, but they are the exceptions.
Song Of Norway also produced three other black-type winners. Russian Tea Room, by Raise a Cup, won the Rancher Stakes, and Frosty The Snowman, by Christmas Tree, but neither won over further than 1000 metres.
The best of Song of Norway's offspring was Scandinavia, a daughter of top-class sprinter Snippets. Scandinavia won the group 2 QTC Cup and was placed in the Newmarket and Lightning stakes but in 17 starts never raced further than 1200 metres.
Scandinavia proved equally adept at producing sprinters, with her best two runners being group 1 Galaxy winner Magnus, by Flying Spur, and Wilander, by Exceed And Excel, who won the group 2 Schillaci Stakes.
Magnus had 24 starts and Wilander 13 but, like their dam, connections never tried them past 1200 metres.
The other stakes winner in the family is Uxorious, who won the group 3 Spring Stakes at Morphettville last August. He was tried over slightly further and in his only start past 1200 metres, won a 1250 metre restricted race in Adelaide.
Black Caviar's dam, Helsinge, a daughter of Desert Sun, was unraced, with the progeny of that horse largely being at their optimum over 1600 metres to 2000 metres, with the best of them being three-time Australian Horse of the Year Sunline.
Bel Esprit, the sire of Black Caviar, won the group 1 Doomben 10,000 over 1350 metres as well as running second in the Caulfield Guineas. At stud he has sired 13 stakes winners, with four of those being successful over 1400 metres and further.
A case could be made on pedigree that Black Caviar might be a risk at the trip today, but 17 race replays would indicate otherwise.
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