Black Caviar's return pulls big TV audience - Sydney Morning Herald

Black Caviar does not only pull the crowds to the race track, as she did when 27,000 people turned up at Flemington on Saturday to welcome her back to action after a seven-month break.

She also attracts eyeballs to television broadcasts.

Bernard Saundry, the chief executive of Racing Victoria, on Sunday said that figures from new free to air broadcast partner Channel Seven suggested that almost 350,000 people tuned into Seven's second station to watch the great champion in action — a massive increase on the 51,000 average for the first week of race broadcasts seven days earlier.

''The meeting average (for the whole of afternoon telecast) was 158,000. At the time of her race 336,000 were watching, with the breakdown showing that in Sydney the figure was 52,000, Melbourne 130,000, Brisbane 65,000, Adelaide 43,000 and Perth 46,000,'' Saundry said.

''Add to that Sky, TVN, plus online viewing and you would say that there were easily half a million people tuning in to watch the race.''

Saundry, like all racing professionals, knows the massive marketing impact the wonder mare has for the sport.

Racing will one day have to confront the reality that she is no longer there to be its sales promotor, and the head of RV is determined that the industry takes advantage of the opportunity she has given it.

''In my view she has proved that she's better than a champion with that run. She's the best horse I have ever seen in 35 years in the industry. Our key challenge is to make sure we get as many eyeballs as possible watching, as we have done through our new arrangement with Channel Seven and all the other platforms racing can be seen on.

''Part of that strategy is to get those peple to engage with racing and come to the track. She's a platform to get old fans back and attract new ones. Whenever she's racing people talk about it with you, even if they don't know about racing.''

Racing Minister Denis Napthine agreed.

''She is absolutey fantastic for racing. She's the people's horse, the people's champion, and she's bringing people back to racing. Black Caviar is the epitome of the best in the sport. She's probably the best we have seen in 100 years — well, her and Phar Lap, and I'll put Makybe Diva in for the trifecta.''