The speed of summer lightning: How Black Caviar made the race her own

The decision to rename the Lightning Stakes was a bold leap of faith by the VRC Board of the time. The brilliant sprinting mare came into the rich weight-for-age pre-autumn sprint hoping to make it a unique hat trick of wins and to register her twenty-third successive victory. To achieve either goal – to win three times in the same Group 1 race in successive years and to extend an unbeaten record of such magnitude – would be a huge achievement.  

The VRC reckoned that even if, heaven forbid, Black Caviar failed at this 2013 challenge, she had earned the right to stamp her name on the Lightning Stakes. It was to be her first Australian appearance since her narrow, heart-stopping victory against the world’s top sprinters over 6 furlongs (1218 metres) at Royal Ascot. That was nearly eight months earlier. Here she was in February, first up from that spell and her international travel, against a quality Group 1 field of rivals.   

The owners of Black Caviar had shared her talents around Australia during five years of racing. She had won in Sydney, Brisbane and Adelaide as well as at Royal Ascot, and in Melbourne she had dazzled at Moonee Valley and Caulfield. But it was at Flemington that she accumulated the largest tallies of victories. For the 2013 ‘Black Diamond Lightning Stakes’ she was lining up for her eighth successive win at the track.  

Yes, already her Flemington status was secure, especially with one victory that was hailed as the greatest of her career. That was the 2011 VRC Newmarket Handicap triumph, which came just three weeks after her first Lightning Stakes. Most of Black Caviar’s career wins were under the weight-for-age scale, but the rich Newmarket has always been a handicap race, the steepest challenge to aspiring champions. On the strength of nine previous race wins in the best company, Black Caviar was asked to carry 58 kilograms that day, the heaviest in her career. No mare had ever won the Newmarket with such a weight since Pendant in 1906, and few male horses had won with more, even in the days when handicappers were tough on champions.  

Not only did Black Caviar win the Newmarket, her regular jockey, Luke Nolen, steered her to the lead and she beat Crystal Lily home by three lengths in the brilliant time of 1 minute 7.36 seconds. So, even if she were to be beaten in the 2013 Lightning Stakes, she deserved the honour of the race name. ​

Her fans came to Flemington in their thousands, many dressed in her clever colours of salmon, black spots, and relished the special displays in her honour. 

Being the ultimate champion, Black Caviar did not disappoint. She not only won easily, she set a new Flemington record for 1000 metres. 

It was no accident that her connections – her astute trainer, Peter Moody, and her owners – had always had the Lightning Stakes as a priority throughout the previous three years, as the start of an autumn campaign. By comparison with other VRC classic races, the Lightning was comparatively modern, having been first run in 1955. The inaugural winner was the Sydney gelding Gay Vista who won 16 of his 25 starts in Australia before achieving success in the USA. The second winner was Apple Bay who had a Doomben Ten Thousand to his credit. The next was South Australian, Copper Year, a Goodwood Handicap winner, and the fourth was Sir Chester Manifold’s two-year-old, Misting.  

But it was the next tranche of winners who lifted the status of the Lighting Stakes – names that still resound. Todman, in 1960, who had won the very first Golden Slipper Stakes so brilliantly; Sky High in 1961 and again in 1962; Wenona Girl in the next two years. The honour roll soon extended to include Citius, Storm Queen, Begonia Belle, Black Onyx and Dual Choice – champions all.  

The list of winners of the Lightning Stakes since then includes illustrious names in the history of modern Australian racing. Maybe Mahal (twice), The Judge, River Rough, Placid Ark, Zeditive, Shaftesbury Avenue, Schillaci (twice), Mahogany (twice) … 

Can we keep going? Why not? General Nediym and Isca, who both went on to win the Newmarket; Testa Rossa, multiple Group 1 winner; Choisir, Fastnet Rock and Takeover Target. Still they kept coming, these star winners of the VRC Lightning Stakes. Miss Andretti, Apache Cat, Scenic Blast, Nicconi. Some of the fastest sprinters on the planet.  

Yet Black Caviar is the only one to strike Lightning three times. Savour this list of past champions, and then relish the outstanding, truly deserved, compliment paid to Black Caviar – the mare who made the VRC Lightning Stakes her own.