A lot of modern sports-based video games tend to have “legends” features. You’ll be familiar with the concept, such as playing as Larry Byrd or Michael Jordan in modern NBA-based video games, or choosing to play as the 1970 Brazil team in soccer games. But we wondered who gamers would be hoping to ‘unlock’ if there was a comparable option in horse racing video games? Legends like Frankel, Secretariat, Zenyatta, and Man O’ War would undoubtedly be on the list.

And yet, there would also likely be room for Black Caviar and Winx, the two Australian mares who made history across the best part of a decade. For racing fans, particularly those in Australia, it’s become the ultimate debate to weigh up the merits of the pair, like deciding between Batman and Superman or Pele and Maradona. And like all great debates, there is rarely a satisfactory resolution. But we can at least lay out some of the arguments for each.

Winx part of the fabric of racing in NSW
Starting with Winx, the horse that went on an incredible 33-race winning streak before retiring in 2019. The story of Winx begins and ends in New South Wales, and the mare is part of the fabric of the history of racing NSW, having most of her victories in the state’s racecourses like Randwick, Warwick and Rosehill. While Winx had a decent start to her career, with a victory in her maiden run in 2014, it did take her a while to truly start demonstrating the prowess that would make her a legend.

The incredible world-record streak began on the Sunshine Coast on 16th May 2015. After taking the Sunshine Coast Guineas, Winx began to move up to Group 1 races, and she delivered win after win, year after year. 25 of those 33 races were Group 1s, with Winx setting a world record in the process. On 13th April 2019, after winning the Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Randwick (a suitable venue as the ‘headquarters’ of NSW racing), Winx went into retirement as a broodmare. Her final record was 37 wins from 43 races.

The incredible Winx, who won 33 consecutive races: Photo via https://twitter.com/winx_horse

Black Caviar was perfect
While Black Caviar’s record is not just as extensive as Winx’s, it is pretty much perfect: 25 wins from 25 races. Frankel, for example, is often cited as the best horse in history, but you might argue that his 14-0 record is not as impressive as the one held by Black Caviar. The mare raced from 2009-2013, and every challenger was put to the sword. She was a sprinter, running over 1000-1200m in around 55-70 seconds. The Black Caviar Lightning Stakes is named after her these days, and the naming feels apt.

Black Caviar in action: Photo via https://twitter.com/FlemingtonVRC

While the pair’s careers never overlapped, the rivalry has always been there. The debate is bolstered by the fact that they hail from different states: As mentioned, Winx is very much part of the NSW folklore, whereas Black Caviar hails from Victoria. Two rival horse racing states, who, by chance, had the two best mares in Australian (and, arguably, world) racing history in action across the same decade.

The list of accolades the pair achieved is almost endless, and it arms proponents of each with an argument as to why their super mare is the GOAT. It’s our view that you simply can’t compare them and get a definitive answer. Each, for different reasons, changed the face of racing in Australia. And each should be held up as a legend of racing in their own right. Between them, they won 40 Group 1 races, where even some of the best horses around can struggle to win one. “Super” is perhaps not a strong enough adjective for the inimitable Winx and Black Caviar.