Black magic

By Danny Buttler
WITH10 wins from 10 races, Black Caviar may be preparing to take on the world at Happy Valley, Churchill Downs or Royal Ascot, but her owners insist she is very much a local story.
The proud owners mostly hail from Melbourne’s south east, growing up around Keysborough and living and working in Narre Warren, Harkaway and Dandenong.
Of the five families who hold a share in the horse, two met through having children at St Margaret’s School in Berwick and trainer Peter Moody also has a daughter at the school.
Black Caviar has captured the public imagination in a way not seen since Phar Lap in the 1930s. The mare seems, literally, to be unbeatable.
This Friday night’s William Reid Stakes at Moonee Valley will see the champ take on just four opponents, having scared off most sensible owners and trainers.
Jannene Madden, who owns a share with her husband Colin, said the Black Caviar team was loving every minute of the ride.
“It is a wonderful journey, who would have thought we would be part of it?” she said. “I think this horse has captured the spirit of Australia. I have a daughter who lives in Townsville and she is amazed at the amount of coverage they get up there.”
The close knit local families have been enjoying waterskiing holidays in Echuca for many years, some of them having met through St Margaret’s (Ainslee Madden and Dana and Shannon Wilkie were all students there at the same time), while others have histories that go back many decades.
“We (fellowowner Neil Wherret) met at Sunday school in Keysborough, and as the years progressed, we met others through St Margaret’s in Berwick and then another couple are friends from Berwick as well,” Jannene said.
Husband Colin said the local connections went back to the days when Melbourne’s south east was still farmland.
“One of the guys, Neil Werrett, who now lives in Sydney, his grandparents knocked around with my grandparents,” he said.
Colin, who has worked as a solicitor in the Dandenong area for more than 30 years, said the joy of owning a once-in-a-century horse was made even greater by sharing the experience with family and friends.
“There’s not a fortune in it, it is just a heck of a lot of fun,” he said.
A dream for many in the syndicate would be taking Black Caviar overseas, not only to challenge the world’s best racehorses, but to enjoy the experience of the syndicate on tour.
“If she stays sound and she gets through the year, it would be wonderful to go overseas and tour with her,” Colin said.
Whatever happens, there’s a small group of suburban families who have been taken for the ride of their lives by a very special horse.