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Victoria Racing Club has announced it will join forces with the Starlight Children’s Foundation as the official charity for the 2015 Melbourne Cup Carnival with a special visit to Black Caviar.

In celebration of the new partnership, recent Starlight Wish recipient and 19-year-old Sydney-based horse fanatic Samantha met Australia’s most famous racehorse in the lead up to Black Caviar Lightning Day at Flemington.

The unique once-in-a-lifetime visit took place at a private New South Wales location where the valuable broodmare is in-foal to champion sire Sebring. Samantha also met Black Caviar’s first foal, originally dubbed Baby Caviar but now known as Little Cav, a filly by Exceed and Excel born on 13 September last year.

"We are so thankful to the VRC, Black Caviar’s owners and the Starlight Children's Foundation for this once in a lifetime opportunity,” said Samantha’s mother, Debbie. “It was a dream come true for Sammi, a horse lover, to meet Black Caviar and her foal. It will be a memory she'll cherish forever."

Black Caviar Lightning Day on Saturday 21 February, the opening meeting of the Flemington Festival of Racing, has become a celebration of the unbeaten mare’s achievements since being renamed in her honour before the 2013 edition.

Starlight will be the 13th Pin & Win charity, and will be aiming to raise $500,000 this year to help the broadest-reaching children’s charity continue to brighten the lives of seriously ill children, teenagers and their families, through the sale of miniature Emirates Melbourne Cup pins.

Having pioneered the Pin & Win concept, the VRC last year celebrated 20 years of its flagship fundraiser, and passed the $4 million mark in funds raised.

“We are delighted to appoint the Starlight Children’s Foundation as our very worthy charity partner for 2015, and to facilitate this special visit to Black Caviar in the lead up to her name-sake race,” said VRC Acting Chief Executive Julian Sullivan.

“Starlight is a wonderful charity committed to improving lives, and together we can make a real difference to sick children both in our local community and throughout Australia.”

Starlight State Partnerships Manager Tracey Windley said she was very appreciative of the support from the VRC, and looks forward to the launch of the Pin & Win campaign in September.

“Our partnership with VRC will raise much-needed funds to help Starlight continue to brighten the lives of sick kids, teens and their families by replacing pain, fear and stress, with joy, fun and laughter. Serious illness not only disrupts the life of the child; it affects the whole family, and the generosity of partners like the VRC will help Starlight continue to increase resilience and empower kids, teens and their families to cope with the impact of serious illness.”

The Black Caviar Lightning is Australia’s only 1000m Group 1 race and the first leg of the Global Sprint Challenge. Black Caviar won the race a record three times between 2011 and 2013.

The Pin & Win campaign will commence in early September, with pins available at Flemington and a range of retail outlets.

Starlight programs are uniquely Australian and exist nowhere else in the world. There is a Starlight Express Room in every children’s hospital in the country, and in 2015 the VRC will become a major sponsor of the Starlight Express Room at the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne.