October
NovemberDon't forget the Man
Black Caviar is an absolute champion. No question. But when I hear people say she’s the best sprinter we’ve ever seen I start to feel my mood change.
Ever heard of a horse called Manikato? This is his story.
47 starts, 29 wins, eight seconds, five thirds. He won 11 Group 1s (23 if you convert some races he won that are Group 1s now).
They credit Vain with only nine Group 1s and some people rate him better than Manikato, which I find absolutely ridiculous.
Manikato won the William Reid Stakes (Group 1) five times in a row. He won the Futurity four times including three in a row, as well as running second to Galleon. He won the C.F. Orr Stakes three times. He won the George Ryder in Sydney twice. He won the Golden Slipper, the Blue Diamond, the Freeway Stakes twice, the Memsie, the Moir, the Canterbury Stakes, the Queen Elizabeth Cup plus many more.
One of his George Ryders he won by seven lengths running away in a 16-horse field.
He won over 1000, 1200, 1400, 1600 and 1800 metres. His first Futurity (over 1800m) he won running away by five lengths.
He won on all kinds of tracks, going both ways and in all conditions.
He bled, had bad legs and literally nearly died, but still kept winning for six or seven seasons all up.
Most people say his best effort was a second to Dulcify in the Australian Cup over 2000 metres. Dulcify had won the Cox Plate by seven lengths and most experts say that horse could have been anything. They say it was probably the best Australian Cup field ever assembled.
Manikato was four lengths in front with 100 metres to go but got pipped right on the line.
Not a bad effort for a sprinter, was it?
When Manikato was seven there was a young champion called Rancher who had won seven or eight in a row. Rancher was even-money favourite and poor old Manikato, who was on his last legs and had bled, 10/1 and drifting.
Manikato, with nothing left in the tank (or so most people thought) won easily while this supposed superstar Rancher missed a place. The Manikato legend was formed.
If you convert the money he won into today’s dollars you get $14 million, a couple of hundred thousand less than Makybe Diva, who won three Melbourne Cups.
His Timeform rating is 136 — two under Tulloch, one under Kingston Town, two above Vain, three above champion Might And Power and four above Japan Cup winner Better Loosen Up.
To those Black Caviar fans caught up in the moment, I say take a breath, don’t believe the hype. Look at the Manikato story and you might realise that Black Caviar is not the best sprinter we’ve ever seen.
As of now, is Black Caviar potentially as good as Manikato? I say yes. At this very moment is she a better horse than Manikato? I say absolutely not. She has a long way to go.
Pyalong (Vic)