She dropped back from her only attempt over 1400m a week earlier, but her rating of 136 would comfortably dethrone superstar Nature Strip, who is seeking his second Lightning Stakes victory on Saturday.

One of the factors that enabled her to be so fast was her stride length, which was measured at a massive 27 feet 11 inches (8.42 meters). Theoretically, at her top speed, she could cover an eighth of a mile in less than 24 steps.

Because she could cover more distance per stride while still maintaining a stride frequency well above average, she was able to reach speeds with the bridle that would require enormous pressure from other horses.

In recent years, as technology has advanced, we have seen horses reach speeds well over 70 km/h during races, but only for very short periods of time.

Black Caviar was able to stay at her best for much longer, which enabled her to become the first horse in Australian history to complete a 200m leg in under 10 seconds. She actually managed that 9.98 seconds between 600m and 400m when she won the 2012 Lightning Stakes.

Fittingly, the world’s best sprinter and fastest with Flemington’s top speed achieved her peak performance on her favorite track, in the race that is now named after her – the Black Caviar Lightning Stakes.

Black Caviar retired in 2013 as the winner of 25 races with 25 stars, including 15 Group 1 races, and $7,953,936 in prize money.