The Black Caviar Lightning is a thousand-metre dash up the Flemington straight, in what is the first Group One sprint race of the year. It is run under Weight for Age conditions, for a hefty prize purse of $750,000.
This race has been contested since 1955, and is registered as the Lightning Stakes. However, the name was changed to the Black Caviar Lightning in 2013, to pay tribute to Australia's greatest sprinter. Black Caviar made this race her own, doing the treble in a sequence of commanding victories from 2011 to 2013.
Besides Black Caviar, several greats of Australian horse racing have flashed to victory in the Lightning Stakes. Choisir, Takeover Target, Miss Andretti and the grey flash himself Chautauqua are all listed on the honour roll of this great race.
Sprint races at Flemington are always a spectacle and the Black Caviar Lightning is no exception. That's because, in a rarity for Australian racing, the horses don't face any bends, and instead run directly up the famous Flemington straight.
While the longer 1,200 distance at Flemington often sees the field split into two groups, or favour one running rail over the other, the Black Caviar Lightning typically unfolds very simply. The horses just run full steam ahead, up the middle of the track.
With barriers playing no role whatsoever, it is the fastest horse on the day who will claim the sought after title, and join the likes of Black Caviar and Chautauqua on the honour roll.
If history has taught us anything about this race, especially in the last decade, it's that you need a good horse to win.
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