Black Caviar farewell

Black Caviar with trainer Peter Moody.
Source: The Courier-Mail via Herald-Sun http://www.heraldsun.com.au

How times have changed. When you look at the photographs of the great Phar Lap 80 years ago you see him in a wooden crate being hoisted on to a ship to face a six-week sea voyage.
Black Caviar, touted as Australia’s most popular horse since Phar Lap, will fly to England in a Singapore Airlines 747-400 cargo plane. She leaves next week from Melbourne airport with more than 24 hours in the air. Black Caviar’s relaxed demeanour and care-free attitude gives trainer Peter Moody reason to believe she will cope with the arduous journey. But how could he not be nervous?

When Phar Lap made his voyage, Tommy Woodcock, his devoted strapper, travelled solo with the legendary racehorse on his journey to America. But the Black Caviar team is leaving nothing to chance. Black Caviar will be contained in a specially designed crate with the stable foreman, vet and track rider to keep her company. The long flight to England and how she handles it is the only concern.  When she arrives in London, Black Caviar will be taken by float on a three-hour drive to Newmarket where will be stabled for her assault on the Diamond Jubilee Stakes in front of the Queen next month.

If the champion mare copes with the journey, then Royal Ascot will be in for some Black Caviar magic. And just like Phar Lap all those years ago, most Australians are crossing their fingers and toes but really, they can’t imagine Black Caviar being beaten.