Frankel v Black Caviar

This article first appeared in the Jan/Feb 2014 issue of World Gaming magazine.

The racing world was blessed to have two of the greatest horses we’ve ever seen racing on opposite sides of the world at the same time. World Gaming sat down with legendary Macau trainer Joe Lau to work out who would have won a match race between the two.

Frankel is a British stallion who retired from racing in 2012 with a perfect 14 wins from 14 starts. Black Caviar is an Australian mare who retired from racing in 2013 with a perfect 25 wins from 25 starts. The two raced during the same incredible period but never faced each other.

For those of you who don’t know much about horse racing, let me paint the picture for you. Frankel was a middle distance horse and raced his whole career in England. The standard of horse he defeated was on average better than that of Black Caviar. Black Caviar was a sprinter and raced all but one of her races in Australia. Australian racing is probably stronger in general than British racing but the middle distance runners face a better standard of horse than sprinters.

The sex and ages of the horses didn’t matter as they both quickly got to a point where they only contested weight for age races. This means that a horse carries a predetermined set weight based on their age and sex. The big problem was always going to be what distance they would race over if a match race ever eventuated. It would have been somewhere between 1,200 and 1,600 meters (Black Caviar wanting shorter and Frankel wanting longer). Alas, the race never happened so now we can only speculate – and that’s exactly what we asked Joe Lau to do!

Joe Lau on Frankel
“Frankel is the best horse I have ever seen. He proved everything a racehorse needed to prove. Every time he was asked for that supreme effort he showed he was in a class all of his own. It didn’t matter if they made it a sit and sprint or a grinding staying test, he just never looked like being beaten.”

Joe Lau on Black Caviar
“Black Caviar was the best filly the Southern Hemisphere ever produced. She was the same as Frankel in that she answered every challenge that was put to her. This is the sign of a true champion.”

Who would win over 1,200 meters?
“Over 1,200 based on their running records and the types of horses they were, Black Caviar has the upper hand. She is just so proven over this distance that even the mighty Frankel would have struggled to pick her up.”
Verdict: Black Caviar by a head.

Who would win over 1,400 meters?
“Over 1,400 … this would have been the true test. It would have pushed both horses over an unsuitable distance. It would have been one of the greatest match races in our sport, but I just think that at weight for age Frankel would have worn down the great mare. Then again, it’s all just speculation and it could easily have gone either way.”
Verdict: Frankel by a nose.

Who would win over 1,600 meters?
“At 1,600 meters or more Frankel just finishes over the top every time. Black Caviar might have looked the winner down the straight but as every meter passed the Aussie mare would have been weakening and Frankel would have been hitting his straps. I think at this distance Frankel was just too good for any horse.”
Verdict: Frankel by a length.

So who was the best?
“At the end of the day I am just lucky to have witnessed two horses who were simply unbeatable. Australians talk about the Melbourne Cup as “the race that stops the nation” but if Frankel and Black Caviar had gone head to head it would have been the race that stopped the world. 1,400 meters was always the distance the race should have been run to ensure it was as fair as possible, but sometimes fairytales don’t become reality. In some ways it is nice that both of the horses finished with unbeaten records and will go down in the record books as unbeaten champions. If I had to pick one over the other I would lean towards Frankel by a nose in a photo finish. They were both champions but if you pushed me I have to lean towards Frankel. The stallion’s ability over middle distance made him more versatile and he could have travelled around the world. But on any given day, who knows?

JOE LAU

After growing up with horses in his native Malaysia, Joe Lau moved to Macau in 1990 and held an assistant trainer’s license for three years. He was granted a full trainer’s license for the 1993/1994 racing season. Since then, Lau has enjoyed great success and has become one of Macau’s most respected and well-loved racing identities. One of his career highlights was winning both legs of the inaugural Hong Kong Macau Trophy with Crown’s Gift in 2004. Other Group Champions he has trained include Crown Master, Kaaptan, Polish Warrior and Clown Master.