Black Caviar's narrow victory in front of Queen Elizabeth II at Royal Ascot on Saturday might ay have been the unbeaten Australian mare's last race.
The 6-year-old Black Caviar's mere presence created a real buzz at Ascot meeting, but the Australian horse tore back muscles during her victory in the Diamond Jubilee Stakes, which extended her winning streak to 22 races. She is a perfect 22 for 22 in her career.
Black Caviar's owners will make a decision on her future in the next three or four weeks and retirement is an option for the world's second-ranked flat racing horse, who gained a status akin to a national heroine in Australia after her Ascot triumph.
A veterinarian exam revealed two muscle tears and some bleeding in the area, The Australian newspaper reported Sunday.
"She's torn some muscles up high behind (hindquarter) and pulled up very tender," trainer Peter Moody told The Australian. "I'm just so proud of what she did in the circumstances. She's certainly going to enjoy a rest."
A momentary rest in the stretch of the race Saturday nearly caused Black Caviar's first defeat. For a few strides near the line, jockey Luke Nolen eased up and Black Caviar and was nearly caught by French mare Moonlight Cloud.
Nolen realized his error and shook the reins in the final three strides as Black Caviar held on to score a narrow and famous win.
Nolen admitted he underestimated the testing straight track and its uphill climb to the finish at Royal Ascot.
"It is quite unfortunate as it is going to overshadow a very good win," Nolen said. "There might be more talk about my brain fade rather than the horse's fantastic effort. It was pilot error, but I got away with it. She won, so it doesn't matter."
Moody was more philosophical about the scare as Black Caviar scrambled home to the narrowest win of her celebrated career.
"You only have to win by a quarter of an inch," Moody said.
Queen Elizabeth II paid Black Caviar the ultimate tribute when she made her way down to the mounting yard to meet Moody, Nolen and Black Caviar after the race.
"This is something I never thought I would experience, meeting the queen, it was quite overwhelming. As we all know, Her Majesty is a horse lover," he said. "It was a meeting of the two queens of Australia."
NewsCore contributed to this report.
