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Trio of Group 1 winners headline Caviar nominations

10th Feb 2014

Relaxed Racing - Monday, 10 February 2014

The $502,000 Group 1 Black Caviar Lightning (1000m) has lost none of its lustre after nominations closed today despite the race’s namesake being absent for the first time in three years.

And while a trio of Group 1 winners headline the nominations for the feature Flemington sprint, this year’s race is likely to spark plenty of debate with a pair of two-year-olds amongst entries.

Since Gay Vista took out the inaugural running of the Lightning Stakes in 1955, only three two-year-olds have been successful in the famous sprint classic. Misting (1958) the first and only colt to be triumphant, Ritmar (1959) the first filly, with Desirable (1976) carrying 43kgs the most recent.

Cranbourne trainer Robbie Laing had previously declared his intention of running Boomwaa (pictured) in the Lightning since the gelding’s runner-up placing in the Inglis Classic (1200m) at Randwick in mid-January so his appearance in the entries came as little surpirse.

However it is the nomination of the Team Hawkes galloper Bugatty that has created a stir. A winner of two of his three career-starts, the son of Dreamscape tasted defeat for the first time on 1 February when second to Nayeli in the Group 3 Chairman’s Stakes (1100m) at Caulfield.

The pair, who will carry 46 kilograms under the weight-for-age scale, could face seasoned sprinters, including Group 1-winning mare Samaready from the Mick Price stable.

The daughter of More Than Ready has not been sighted since finishing down the track in the Group 1 Sportingbet Manikato Stakes (1200m) during the Spring Racing Carnival but boasts excellent fresh form with the outstanding record of two wins from three attempts.

Fellow Caulfield trainer Peter Moody has nominated three-year-olds Thermal Current and filly Brilliant Bisc.

Flemington trainers are well represented with Mike Moroney entering African Pulse; Danny O’Brien nominating last year’s Group 1 Lexus Newmarket Handicap (1200m) winner Shamexpress along with the David Hayes trained gelding Pago Rock.

Bernabeu, a horse that had Shamexpress’ measure in a recent Flemington jumpout, is also prominent in the nominations for John O’Shea, with the gelding likely to return to the scene of his impressive Emirates Melbourne Cup Day win last spring.

Adelaide based horseman John Hyam is looking at the Lightning Stakes for his eight-year-old Esprit De Bullet.

Sydney trainer Lionel Cohen is likely to bring down Aeronautical. The son of Encosta De Lago is no stranger to Melbourne having run third in the 2013 Newmarket Handicap behind Shamexpress. Gerald Ryan has nominated Snitzerland while Guy Walter has entered Streama.

The Black Caviar Lightning Stakes is the first leg of the Global Sprint Challenge and the highlight of a nine-race card on Saturday that includes the Listed Talindert Stakes (1100m), the Group 3 C.S Hayes Stakes (1400m) and the Group 3 Mitty’s Vanity (1400m).

First contested in 2005 the Global Sprint Challenge is a series of 10 Group 1 sprints across six racing jurisdictions.

The full set of nominations for Saturday’s Flemington meeting is available here

To read more on the Global Sprint Challenge click here