Sally Pearson – London Olympic gold medallist and golden girl of Australian sport – has been pipped at the post for Sportswoman of the Year by a racehorse by Sydney's Daily Telegraph.

Sportswriters Phil Rothfield and Darren Hadland named Black Caviar as the best female athlete this year as part of their annual top 50 moments of the year column.

Black Caviar.

"The mighty mare took on the Poms on their own turf and still beat them. Let's see Frankel do that. That's right, they were too afraid to bring him here," they wrote.

While Rothfield maintains the column is a "light hearted" review of the year in sport, the decision to snub a human being for the award has been mocked on social media as sexist and an insult to many female athletes, especially Pearson, whose win in London was roundly considered a highlight of the games.