Ladbrokes Tip: Sprinters with good straight track and first-up form are perfectly suited to resume in the Black Caviar Lightning

The Black Caviar Lightning, formerly the Lightning Stakes, is the second Group 1 race off the annual Melbourne Autumn Racing Carnival and lights up Flemington Racecourse on a Saturday in mid-late February.

The sprint classic is now known as the Black Caviar Lightning in honour of triple Lightning Stakes winner Black Caviar (2011-13). Run down the famous Flemington straight over 1000m the short distance clash offers $750,000 in prize money and is run under weight-for-age conditions.

The Black Caviar Lightning Stakes is the first of the three leg Autumn Sprint Series Triple Crown that also features Caulfield’s Group 1 Oakleigh Plate (1100m) the following Saturday and Flemington’s Group 1 Newmarket Handicap (1200m) on Super Saturday in March. Having held Group 1 status since 1987, the Lightning Stakes is also the opening leg of the Global Sprint Challenge and so attracts the season’s top class stayers who could be internationally-bound.

This season’s Black Caviar Lightning ran Saturday February 13, 2021 and was won by Australian Horse of the Year Nature Strip. 

Black Caviar Lightning Stakes Race Info

• Date: Saturday February 13, 2021
• Track: Flemington Racecourse
• Distance: 1000m
• Conditions: Weight-for-age
• Status: Group 1
• Prize Money: $750,000
• First Run: 1955

2021 Black Caviar Lightning Results

The official Black Caviar Lightning Stakes Results 2021 and Finishing Order will be known on Saturday February 13, 2021 and published below as soon as the autumn feature is run and won.

• 1st: #1 Nature Strip
• 2nd: #7 September Run
• 3rd: #8 Swats That

The Chris Waller-trained Australian Horse of the Year Nature Strip was back to his best first-up in the Black Caviar Lightning Stakes 2021 results defeating his Coolmore Stud Stakes winning stablemate September Run. 

Black Caviar Lightning Betting & Odds

Black Caviar Lightning betting markets are usually led by sprinters with previous Group 1 winning form at Flemington including the VRC Sprint Classic over 1200m at the track the November before.

The last horse to complete the double was Redkirk Warrior (2018).

Black Caviar (2011) also went on to win the Newmarket after the first of her three Lightning Stakes wins for the punters, the mighty mare saluting as the favourite in Lightning Stakes betting three years in a row.

Black Caviar Lightning odds favour proven straight performers and mares also feature prominently in betting with six of the winners from 2006 – 2020 being female gallopers, most recently In Her Time (2019).

2021 Black Caviar Lightning Odds

The latest Black Caviar Lightning Stakes 2021 betting odds will be available below as soon as released so stay tuned for the best autumn racing odds on the season’s top sprinters.

Black Caviar Lightning Field

The Black Caviar Lightning field features the season’s best sprinters and is often the first-up run for the Oakleigh Plate and Newmarket Handicap hopefuls. The race typically attracts a smallish field with only one edition of the Lightning Stakes drawing more than a dozen starters in the past 20 years when 15 lined up in the 2002 race won by Spinning Hill.

The Black Caviar Lightning is named in honour of triple winner of the rack Black Caviar (2011-2013). Photo: Race Horse Photos Australia.

Many horses in the Black Caviar Lightning Stakes field had their final runs at the track the previous spring in the VRC Sprint Classic during the Melbourne Cup Carnival and all but three winners from 2009-20 ran in the top three in their lead-up run.

The Lightning Stakes field also attracts horses that could head to Royal Ascot in England later in the year with the likes of Choisir (2003), Takeover Target (2006), Miss Andretti (2007) and Scenic Blast (2009) all winning the Lightning Stakes – King’s Stand Stakes dual country double.

2021 Black Caviar Lightning Field

The Black Caviar Lightning field and barrier draw is set to be released on the Wednesday before the race and will be published below.

The Black Caviar Lightning 2021 final field features eight star sprinters including resuming VRC Sprint Classic winner Bivouac and Chris Waller’s Coolmore Stud Stakes winning filly September Run. 

2021 Black Caviar Lightning Nominations

The official Black Caviar Lightning 2021 nominations are taken by Racing Victoria on the Monday of the race and the full list of early entries will be available here once announced.

The 2021 Black Caviar Lightning nominations drew just 10 early entries and were subsequently extended until Tuesday morning. Of the original nominees, it is Godolphin’s last start VRC Sprint Classic winner Bivouac leading the pre-field betting. 

Table Credit: Racing Australia. 

Black Caviar Lightning Tips

Black Caviar Lightning tips traditionally favour horses that have winning form down the testing Flemington straight and any horse that ran top three in the VRC Sprint Classic the previous November is worth a look at.

A top Lightning Stakes tip is to look at runners drawn in single digits as just one winner from 2005-21 has saluted from wider than gate nine in the race.

Single digit hopes in Black Caviar Lightning odds also have a stellar recent record in the race with the only four winners paying over $10 from 2002-2021: 20/1 shot Scenic Blast who scored the upset in 2009, Terravista upset his rivals first-up at $15 in 2017. Redkirk Warrior ($10) who ran down the $1.80 favourite Redzel in 2018 and Gytrash ($21 in 2020) who upset a field of previous Group 1 winners.

2021 Black Caviar Lightning Tips

The top Black Caviar Lightning 2021 betting tips from our insider team of form experts will be published below the week of the race so stay tuned for the sprinters to get behind in the early autumn feature.

• To Win: #7 September Run ($5.50 at time of publish) 

Love the price on Waller’s brilliant young filly September Run who is three from three at Flemington. She beat home the boys here down the straight last start in the Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes and gets the chance to prove herself fresh against the older horses in this. 

Black Caviar Lightning Form Guide

The Black Caviar Lightning form guide features valuable information for punters including the saddlecloth numbers, barriers, jockeys and trainers of each runner in the field. The form guide for the Lightning Stakes can be used to determine the best value horses in the field by studying their lead-up performances and records at Flemington over 1000m.

Black Caviar Lightning Stakes Form Facts

• In the 11 years from 2011 – 2021 three of Lightning Stakes winners came off a last start victory
• The VRC Sprint Classic produced seven winners from 2010 – 2021 including Black Caviar (2011) who completed the double
• From 2011 – 2021 five editions of the Lightning Stakes have been won by mares – a fact boosted by triple champion Black Caviar
• Favourites have a top record in the race with six wins from 2006 – 2021
• No three-year-old Lightning Stakes winner has been recorded since Fastnet Rock (2005)
• Only one winner has jumped from double-digits since 2005 with Nicconi (11 of 11 in 2010)

2021 Black Caviar Lightning Form Guide

A link to our comprehensive Black Caviar Lighting Stakes 2021 Form Guide will be provided for punters here the week of the race.

Black Caviar Lightning Results

The Black Caviar Lightning Stakes results and finishing order are out in February when the race runs as the only Group 1 at Flemington during the meeting. Along with the Black Caviar Lightning winner the results also show the successful quinella, trifecta and margins between each horse that finished the race.

Lightning Stakes results have been dominated by the favourites in the past decade and notable recent Lightning Stakes winners include Fastnet Rock (2005), Miss Andretti (2007), Black Caviar (2011-13), Chautauqua (2016), Redkirk Warrior (2018) and Nature Strip (2021). 

Lightning Stakes Winners