The growth of women's sport has become a global phenomenon - racing must do more to take advantage

The death of a racehorse led all Australia's major news bulletins on Saturday. For those of us living on the other side of the world, that level of coverage is hard to comprehend. 

Black Caviar was, of course, much more than just a racehorse. She became an icon of her nation and then, on that unforgettable day at Ascot in 2012, an ambassador for Australia. At 12.45am on a winter Sunday morning, Melbourne's Federation Square was packed with fans who had stayed up late and come together to see one of the country's most celebrated athletes compete on a global stage. It is estimated that up to 10,000 people travelled to Britain from Australia and New Zealand in order to watch her run in the Diamond Jubilee Stakes. They returned home having witnessed something incredible.

There may never have been a finer royal meeting, for this one was topped and tailed by Frankel and Black Caviar. On the opening day Frankel romped to an 11-length victory in the Queen Anne Stakes. Come the festival's final afternoon, Black Caviar was a comparatively generous 1-6, perhaps reflective of the fact her journey to Ascot had been rather longer than the one Frankel was required to make.