Now described as a full-time Hunter Valley resident, former champion racehorse Black Caviar is fast becoming a super mum following the birth of her third foal.
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Black Caviar, who won $7,953,936 on the track, has had three foals since she retired from racing and all of them by Hunter Valley based stallions – a filly by Darley’s Exceed and Excel, a colt by Widden’s Sebring and the latest a filly by Arrowfield’s top sire Snitzel. Her connections have retained her foals, with her first Oscietra, now aged two, and in pre-training in Victoria.
Black Caviar, born in 2006 at Gilgai Farm in Nagambie, Victoria, was hailed as the world’s best sprinter after being undefeated in 25 races, including 15 Group 1 victories. Reports suggest she might fetch $5million.
Another mare, this time bred in the Hunter, Winx is making a real name for herself. She cruised to her 11th successive win in the Group 1 George Main (1600m) at Randwick on last Saturday.
It was Winx’s sixth Group 1, having won in ascending order the Epsom, Cox Plate, Chipping Norton, George Ryder and Doncaster. Now raced 21 times for 15 wins and three seconds, she has won $7,135,425 – not far behind Black Caviar.
The thoroughbred industry was left outraged this week when the Department of Planning recommended the twice-rejected Drayton South Coal Project be approved with stringent conditions. The open-cut, owned by Anglo American, is adjacent to the Hunter thoroughbred studs Coolmore and Darley (Woodlands).
A Planning and Assessment Commission (PAC) review last year rejected the mining proposal, saying should these two studs opt to leave the Hunter the flow-on would be devastating for the equine industry in the region – one of only three such areas in the world.The Department of Planning has now referred its final assessment report on the project to PAC, with recommended strict conditions.
The Hunter Thoroughbred Breeders Association said it beggared belief that the Department of Planning supported this proposal against the expert advice of three independent PACs and the NSW Gateway Panel.
“The only people who have ever thought this project was approvable are either working for Anglo American or the Department of Planning,” association president Dr Cameron Collins said.
The association has called on Premier Mike Baird to implement the recommendations made by the PAC last November to safeguard the breeding industry through buffers, exclusion zones or preservation measures.