A bronze statue of equine superstar Black Caviar and jockey Luke Nolen will be erected in the champion mares’ hometown of Nagambie in October.
Black Caviar will be immortalized in bronze in her hometown of Nagambie. Photo by: Taron Clarke
Acclaimed sculptor Mitch Mitchell, who has previously immortalized a number of Australian sporting legends such as Don Bradman in bronze, is working on the statue which will be prominently featured in the town square of Nagambie – a central Victorian town that is home to some of the largest breeding operations in Australia.
Victorian Premier and Minister For Racing Denis Napthine announced yesterday that his government has given the Shire of Strathbogie a grant of $50,000 to assist them into turning the statue into a tourist attraction.
“The legend of Black Caviar is known throughout the racing world, with an unprecedented 25 consecutive wins, and Nagambie’s Gilgai Farm and Swettenham Stud is where the legend was born and raised,” Napthine said in a statement yesterday.
“This amazing Black Caviar statue will not just be a tribute to racing when installed later this year, but also a major tourist attraction.
This great champion attracted hundreds of thousands to the track and we now believe she will attract many thousands to the beautiful town of Nagambie, her birthplace and the centre of Victoria’s breeding industry.”
The man who bred the wonder mare, Rick Jamieson, funded the the statue and has also commissioned Mitchell to create a replica that he will feature on his stud at Nagambie that is home to Black Caviar’s dam Helsinge.
Jamieson sold Black Caviar for only $210,000 but her success led to the monster sales of her siblings All Too Hard ($1.205 million), Belle Couture ($2.6 million) and ‘Jimmy’ ($5 million) – whose sale smashed the record for the highest-priced yearling ever to be sold in Australia.
Mitchell worked off an image of Black Caviar recording her fifteenth career win in the 2011 Group 2 Schweppes Stakes (1200m) at Moonee Valley.
