Black Caviar (foaled 18 August 2006) is an Australian Thoroughbred racehorse undefeated in 22 races, a success record not equalled for over 100 years. She is considered to be the best sprinter in the world, having been named WTRR World Champion Sprinter in 2010. On 31 March 2011 Black Caviar was rated one of the top Thoroughbred racehorses in the world (with a 136 rating) for the first quarter of 2011 by Timeform. She is trained by leading Melbourne-based trainer Peter Moody, and has been ridden by Luke Nolen in all her starts apart from her first two runs where Jarrad Noske rode her and in the Patinack Farm Classic, where Ben Melham rode her while Nolen was suspended.

Black Caviar was born on the 18th of August 2006 at 5.20am at Gilgai Farm in Nagambie, Victoria. She grew up on the Goulburn River property and then went to Swettenham Stud in December 2007, for a 10 week yearling preparation where she was then sold on behalf of Rick Jamieson to Peter Moody for $210,000 at the Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale. She is owned by G.J. Wilkie, K.J. Wilkie, Werrett Bloodstock Pty Ltd, C.H. Madden, J. Madden, P.A. Hawkes, D.M. Taylor and J Taylor. She was sired by Bel Esprit, winner of the Doomben 10,000. Apart from Black Caviar, Bel Esprit sired Bel Mer, a mare who won the Robert Sangster Stakes in 2009. Black Caviar was the first foal of her unraced dam Helsinge, a daughter of the British racehorse Desert Sun, who never won a major race but was placed in the Craven Stakes and the Sandown Mile. Desert Sun also sired the outstanding racemare Sunline. Helsinge is also the dam of All Too Hard, winner of the 2012 Caulfield Guineas and runner-up in the 2012 Cox Plate. As a descendant of the British broodmare Pinprick, Black Caviar is a product of the same branch of Thoroughbred family 1-p which also produced the Classic winners Ambiguity and Sodium. Black Caviar was one of the yearlings consigned by Swettenham Stud to the Inglis Melbourne Premier yearling sales where she was auctioned for A$210,000.

Black Caviar is an unusually large racehorse, weighing approximately 570 kilograms and standing 16.2 hands high. Horses foaled in Australia have their official "birthdays" on 1 August, whereas in the Northern Hemisphere horses have their ages advanced by one year on 1 January. This anomaly led to Black Caviar being officially described as a six-year-old when she ran in England in June 2012, although she was still a five-year-old by Southern Hemisphere reckoning.