Undefeated Black Caviar romped to her 21st straight victory Saturday in her final race before heading to England for the Royal Ascot.
Ridden by regular jockey Luke Nolen, Black Caviar had an effortless run in the 1,200-meter Goodwood Stakes at Morphettville, slowing down approaching the post for a one-length victory.
It was the smallest field in the race's 133-year history, with only eight other horses entered in what nearly everyone, particularly the bookmakers, figured was a sure thing.
The 5-year-old mare, owned by a consortium of families and friends in Melbourne, went off at odds of $1.04 to win on a $1 bet before a sellout crowd of 30,000.
Two weeks ago at Morphettville, Black Caviar broke an Australian record for consecutive wins that lasted nearly a century — Desert Gold won 19 consecutive races between 1915 and 1917 and Gloaming did it between 1919 and 1921.
The hype surrounding Black Caviar on Saturday was such that the Australian Football League moved forward the start of its scheduled match in Adelaide between the Crows and Geelong to allow fans a chance to watch the game and then head to suburban Morphettville to attend the race.
Several websites carried offers for grandstand tickets to the race, at a substantial markup — the $10 general admission seats were going for up to $50 each. And last week, Australia Post issued a stamp honoring her 20 unbeaten starts.
The mare, rested for 10 weeks before her past two starts, will be spelled for nearly three weeks before making the journey to Britain. Trainer Peter Moody has penciled in Black Caviar's first international race as the Diamond Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot outside London on June 23.
The 1,207-meter race is on the final day of the Royal meeting and is part of the Global Sprint Challenge. Black Caviar could race a second time in Britain on July 14 at Newmarket in the July Cup, another leg of the Global Sprint Challenge.
Last week, Moody said he fully expected Black Caviar to win at Ascot, but also warned he would not run Black Caviar if she was not 100 percent fit after her first overseas journey.
One English media report suggested that Black Caviar had beaten no major international horses in Australia and had to win at Ascot to prove herself.
''You have never seen anything like this horse before,'' Moody said in reply. ''It would be an absolute tragedy if she went there and got beaten by your B-grade sprinters for half the prize money and (traveling) three-quarters of the way around the world.''
