Silver Springs Farm Eqwine & Vineyard
The term “Black Type” originated from horse racing catalogs in the 1950s to indicated the quality of past races a horse had won. This evolved in the 1980s as the International Cataloguing Standards book was produced to outline the most important races in the world – such as the Breeders’ Cup and the Kentucky Derby – and to stress the importance of it for a horse or owner.
Horses often build their reputation on winning black-type races. A race of black-type quality is a race that meets a high standard. Victory in these races marks a horse as being in a more elite category and was extremely important in determining stud values.
A horse that won or placed in a black-type race received black-type status and their name printed in bold black ink on racing and breeding reports. Black-type winners are listed in black bold-faced capital letters and black-type placed horses are listed in black bold-faced mixed case – hence the use of the term “Black Type”.
Author: Caroline Porsiel
Caroline Porsiel is a master distiller and liqueurist based in East Ellijay, Georgia. She founded House of Applejay, a fine spirits and liqueur distillery, in 2022 with her mother, Sabine, crafting award-winning products like Applejay from Ellijay, Mt. Frozen Knob Vodka, and Winter Cherry Mountain Liqueur. The distillery won a 2024 Best of Georgia Award and a 2025 Double Gold Medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition for its Winter Cherry Mountain Liqueur. As a founding member of the AMBRU Campaign, launched in 2020, Porsiel advocates for the global recognition of American Brandy and Rum. She continues to drive innovation in the craft spirits industry from her active distillery in the heart of Georgia’s apple country.
