Black Caviar's stride is about 8.33 metres, or 27? feet in old terms, which is about 24 strides over 200m, compared with about 30 for her rivals, says Robbie Waterhouse, enthusiast and bookie.

''A friend claims he has, on the overhead film, measured one of her strides at 8.46m or 27¾ feet,'' Waterhouse emailed. Which leaves Black Caviar just behind the ''estimated'' 28ft of record-holder Bernborough. Still, the Waterhouse figures are more scientific.

''But apart from that, no Australian racehorse in the modern era has ever dominated its opposition, in top class racing as she has,'' he wrote. ''The starting prices demonstrate this perfectly.

''Selective breeding, better diets and better training methods must mean the modern racehorse is superior to those in the past. The Flynn Effect, in science, dealing with IQs, is testimony to this.

''Clearly, Australia has the best sprinters in the world. Royal Ascot has proven that. How could anyone say she is not the best sprinter, anywhere, ever?

''I'd love to see her in a Newmarket again, with the big weight. What a shame the handicap doesn't carry a prizemoney premium over the set-weight races to tempt connections to risk her unbeaten record.

''Unless she does face the big weight, posterity may not be as generous as it should. She is such a big mare, we estimate her racing weight at 580kg [Descarado won a Caulfield Cup at 435kg] and I think she'd start close to 'black odds', [in the Newmarket] notwithstanding she'll be 'invited' with a generous handicap, but cope with the kind weight and win.''