Black Caviar Lightning Stakes

Black Caviar Lightning Stakes - 1000m

Date: Saturday 18th February 2023
Time: TBD
Prize Money: $1 million AUD

The weight-for-age sprint race at Flemington Racecourse is named the Black Caviar Lightning Stakes. The 1000m trip is one of the highlights of the Australian racing calendar and features some of the best horses the country has to offer. The race has grown in popularity thanks to a long list of notable winners (read below to see our ‘Notable Winners of the Black Caviar Lightning Stakes’) and as a result, there has been a gradual increase in prize money. Below is a breakdown of the prize money given out for the Black Caviar Lightning Stakes:

The field for the Black Caviar Lightning Stakes is yet to be determined but there is a strong list of pre-nominations who are likely to feature come Saturday race day. We have listed the current odds-on favourites for the Black Caviar Lightning Stakes below. Read further to see our way-too-early predictions and tips. These might be worth locking in early to get the best possible price!

Please keep in mind once again that the field is not confirmed for the Black Caviar Lightning Stakes, so these are pre-emptive odds that factor in the chance a specific horse will not feature in the 1000m sprint race.

Please Note: All odds are provided by PlayUp.

What a ridiculously strong field of runners that could be slated for the Black Caviar Lightning Stakes on Saturday 18th February 2023. Many notable names that boast strong career records and cup wins. Whilst it may be early to pick a winner, we have done our best to provide three early picks for the Black Caviar Lightning Stakes. These tips are in the same style as our OnlyRacing tipsso if you are a regular reader, you will be able to follow easily. If you aren’t, what are you doing with yourself?

Nature Strip – EARLY BEST BET
There is little that needs to be said about the early front runner for the Black Caviar Lightning Stakes, Nature Strip. Second by a bobbing head last year and winner the year previous, Nature Strip is arguably the premier Australian horse to beat on its day. I could go on all day about the eight-year-old chestnut Gelding’s racing style which is a joy to watch, but instead, as a precursor for the Black Caviar Lightning Stakes, here are some career statistics of note for Nature Strip:

• A whopping total of $20,600,008 AUD has been amassed by Nature Strip.
• Nature Strip is trained by Chris Waller out of Warwick Farm and is sired by Nicconi and Strikeline, stallion and dam respectively.
• Nature Strip’s most lucrative career win to date is not even his victory at Flemington Racecourse in the Black Caviar Lightning Stakes but is rather his win at Royal Randwick’s TJ Smith Stakes in April last year, winning $800,940. Interestingly in this race, Nature Strip just beat out Eduardo (our early next best pick for the Black Caviar Lightning Stakes.
• Nature Strip has a 22-8-1 record in 41 starts, winning 54%, and placing in 76% of those starts.
• The ROI for Nature Strip stands at an insane 34%. Meaning that if you bet on Nature Strip for all 41 starts, you would have made 34% of your total investment in the Gelding.

Eduardo – EARLY NEXT BEST

The aforementioned Eduardo is clear value in my eyes going into the Black Caviar Lightning Stakes. Eduardo is by all means an elite class racing horse and similar to Nature Strip is a chestnut Gelding. He is a year older than the Strip, having been foaled nine years ago. Similar again to Nature Strip, Eduardo is based at Warwick Farm and is trained by Joseph Pride.

Eduardo has won some big races, none more so than his victory in the $1,000,000 Doomben 10,000, jockeyed by Nash Rawiller, which contributed to his total career earnings of $7,390,650. Once again looking at career records and ROI for the racehorse, Eduardo boasts a stunning 60% ROI having won 39% of his races, placing in 71% total. Eduardo has a career record of 12-4-6 in 31 total starts. Eduardo will likely be my biggest bet at the Black Caviar Lightning Stakes, $11 odds currently seem like a fine deal to me!

Paulele – EARLY ROUGHIE PICK

The James Cummings trained Paulele is a strong contender coming into the Black Caviar Lightning Stakes with a total career earnings of $2,397,200 AUD throughout the four-year-old Stallions illustrious career. Paulele is sired by the dam Chatoyant and the stallion Dawn Approach.

There has been no bigger win so far for Paulele than at Ascot a few months ago in late November 2022 where Ben Melham rode him to victory in the Winterbottom Stakes ($1,500,000 Crown Perth – Winterbottom Stakes). With a ridiculous 115% ROI and an 8-4-2 record in 21 starts, Paulele is a fierce racer who holds a shot at winning this year’s iteration of the Black Caviar Lightning Stakes.

A critical decision for any punter come a massive race such as the Black Caviar Lightning Stakes is what bookie to use. At OnlyRacing, we have a comprehensive list of bookmaker reviews that provide pros and cons for all registered and licensed bookmakers in Australia. Check it out to assist you in your decision of what bookmaker to use for the Black Caviar Lightning Stakes.

A great method to use in deciding your bookie of the day is comparing the odds of specific runners you like across several bookies. Alternatively, you can place bets on different bookmakers that offer the best price for your specific selection in the Black Caviar Lightning Stakes. An example of this is comparing Nature Strip’s fixed win odds of $2.50 on PlayUp to Ladbrokes’ offering of $2.80. 

Below, we have highlighted the pros and cons for five bookmakers we believe are a good choice to use for the Black Caviar Lightning Stakes.

We point you in the direction of our bookmakers’ review page again where you can find out the specific features and markets a bookmaker offers in relation to the Black Caviar Lightning Stakes at Flemington Racecourse. Be sure to check your preferred bookmakers’ Black Caviar Lightning Stakes markets so you can lock in early odds on your favourite runners!

We at OnlyRacing recommend you bet on a wide range of markets, so you get the most out of not only the feature race in the Black Caviar Lightning Stakes, but also the rest of the meet on Saturday the 18th of February 2023 at Flemington Racecourse, Victoria. Listed below are a few market suggestions to get on come race day:

• Quaddie at Flemington Racecourse
• Quinella/Trifecta/First Four in the Black Caviar Lightning Stakes race
• Fixed Win/Place bets on your favourite runners in the Black Caviar Lightning Stakes and across the whole meet at Flemington Racecourse
• Multi bet across multiple races at the Flemington Racecourse Black Caviar Lightning Stakes meet

If you want actual tips with analysis to boot, you can either scroll up to ‘The Feature Race – the Black Caviar Lightning Stakes’ portion of this Black Caviar Lightning Stakes preview or can come back to OnlyRacing closer to the race date for more detailed and insightful tips.

What a shame to be a Sydneysider for once. There is no greater racing experience than being there live to witness the meet in person. Alas, if you live far away from Flemington Racecourse you are unlikely to head there specifically for a race meet… unless you are a bigger horse racing fan than us! If you do have the privilege of being local, or you want to make the trek to watch a special race, visit the Flemington Racecourse website to book tickets or go to the venue itself.

Whilst there is no direct replacement to watching the Black Caviar Lightning Stakes live, we are lucky that bookmakers in Australia offer live streaming services from domestic racetracks across the country. If you want to see what Australian bookmakers offer a live streaming feature where you will be able to watch the Black Caviar Lightning Stakes, visit our bookmakers review page to distinguish between the bookies.

This is how I, and the whole team at OnlyRacing will be watching the race, and we hope you will follow along in some capacity too! 

Now, as a Sydneysider born and bred in the great state of New South Wales, you grow up thinking about Royal Randwick as the premier Australian thoroughbred racetrack. As true as this still rings for me, many others would oppose this view and see Flemington Racecourse as the crown jewel nowadays. To see a more insightful piece on Flemington Racecourse visit our page of the same name at OnlyRacing.com.au.
Flemington Racecourse is not only the home of the Black Caviar Lightning Stakes (formerly known as the Lightning Stakes) but has been hosting race since the 1840s. The history of this great racecourse really came into fruition when the Australian Parliament handed over legal control of the Flemington Racecourse site to the Victoria Racing Club back in 1871. Since then, the track has hosted some of the most notable events not just on the Australian racing calendar, but internationally.
Whilst Flemington Racecourse hosts huge events such as the Australian Cup, the Newmarket Handicap, and the Victoria Derby, there is no race bigger than its most notable, the Melbourne Cup. Australia’s most prestigious race calls Flemington Racecourse its home. Below is a quick breakdown of the total races hosted by Flemington Racecourse for Groups 1-3 annually:

• Group 1 –13 races
• Group 2 – 9 races
• Group 3 – 14 races

Before the Black Caviar Lightning Stakes received its new name in 2013 to honour the titular champion who had just completed a hat-trick, the race was known simply as the Lightning Stakes. Don’t be fooled by recent name change into thinking that this is a new sprint race; the Lightning Stakes first ran in 1955!

Below is a list of the previous winners of the Lightning Stakes (1955 – 2013) and the renamed Black Caviar Lightning Stakes (2013 – Present). The sheer number of well-known champions gives a clear indication as to the prestige surrounding the Black Caviar Lightning Stakes.

We have emboldened some of the Black Caviar Lightning Stakes’ previous winners in the list below, these names will be highlighted further on in the preview.

• 2022    Home Affairs
• 2021    Nature Strip
• 2020    Gytrash
• 2019    In Her Time
• 2018    Redkirk Warrior
• 2017    Terravista
• 2016    Chautauqua
• 2015    Lankan Rupee
• 2014    Snitzerland
• 2013    Black Caviar
• 2012    Black Caviar
• 2011    Black Caviar
• 2010    Nicconi
• 2009    Scenic Blast
• 2008    Apache Cat
• 2007    Miss Andretti
• 2006    Takeover Target
• 2005    Fastnet Rock
• 2004    Regimental Gal
• 2003    Choisir
• 2002    Spinning Hill
• 2001    Sports
• 2000    Testa Rossa
• 1999    Isca
• 1998    General Nediym
• 1997    Mahogany
• 1996    Gold Ace
• 1995    Mahogany
• 1994    Keltrice
• 1993    Schillaci
• 1992    Schillaci
• 1991    Shaftesbury Avenue
• 1990    Redelva
• 1989    Zeditae
• 1988    Special
• 1987    Placid Ark
• 1986    Hula Chief
• 1985    River Rough
• 1984    River Rough
• 1983    Demus
• 1982    He's A Haze
• 1981    Countess Marizza
• 1980    Sportscast
• 1979    The Judge
• 1978    Maybe Mahal
• 1977    Maybe Mahal
• 1976    Desirable
• 1975    Cap D'Antibes
• 1974    Century
• 1973    Make Mine Roses
• 1972    Zambari
• 1971    Dual Choice
• 1970    Black Onyx
• 1969    Mister Hush
• 1968    Begonia Belle
• 1967    Storm Queen
• 1966    Citius
• 1965    Marmion
• 1964    Wenona Girl
• 1963    Wenona Girl
• 1962    Sky High
• 1961    Sky High
• 1960    Todman
• 1959    Ritmar
• 1958    Misting
• 1957    Copper Year
• 1956    Apple Bay
• 1955    Gay Vista

In the portion of the Black Caviar Lightning Stakes preview above ‘Previous Winners of the Black Caviar Lightning Stakes’, we at OnlyRacing emboldened four different winners from four different time periods for four vastly different reasons. The goal in mind? To provide you guys with the history and some cool fun facts about the Black Caviar Lightning Stakes to get you excited for the big event!

Gay Vista – 1955

The first champion of the Black Caviar Lightning Stakes, then the Lightning Stakes, Gay Vista was a journeyman horse that raced in several different countries. He was always a spectacle on Australian soil though, boasted an incredible 16 wins from 25 starts, one of which the Black Caviar Lightning Stakes. Gay Vista moved to the USA a couple years after cooping the Black Caviar Lightning Stakes honours, proving successful there too, winning five of eight runs.

Placid Ark – 1987

One name that might not stick out as much as the others on our list of notable winners at the Black Caviar Lightning Stakes is Placid Ark, the winner of the 1987 iteration of the Lightning Stakes. 

What makes Placid Ark so interesting is his price tag of merely $5,000 AUD. What a great purchase this would prove to be as Placid Ark bestowed his trainers and stable with not only a win in the Black Caviar Lightning Stakes, but also the Canterbury Stakes, the Newmarket Handicap, the Winterbottom Stakes, and the Oakleigh Plate. Some returns for a $5,000 horse! Placid Ark finished with fourteen wins from twenty-one starts, including three other placings.

Black Caviar – 2011-2013

I sincerely hope as a reader of OnlyRacing you are at least somewhat familiar with the name of one of the greatest racing horses to ever live. Black Caviar not only won the Lightning Stakes in three successive years (2011, 2012 & 2013), but she is the reason the race was renamed. From 2013 onwards the 1000m sprint race at Flemington Racecourse was and is known as the Black Caviar Lightning Stakes.

There are many specific points in time to highlight for the unbeaten Black Caviar, however a poignant time in the great horse’s career was after her third and final win at the Black Caviar Lightning Stakes. Following her victory, Black Caviar took out the William Reid Stakes and Randwick’s TJ Smith Stakes before the pin was pulled on her career.

Black Caviar is currently 16 years old and is widely regarded around the world as one of the all-time greats, with an unbeaten record to boot. We may never see one like her again, but her legacy lives in as the name of Victoria’s feature sprint race, the Black Caviar Lightning Stakes.

Nature Strip – 2021

Nature Strip is a gun. No other way to put it. He was always the favourite going into this one and was paired with his usual jockey partner of James McDonald (what a combo). A nice win at the Black Caviar Lightning Stakes for Nature Strip ensured he would be favourite once more come the 2022 iteration of the Black Caviar Lightning Stakes. However, that time, the race did not go as planned. Nature Strip comes into the 2023 Black Caviar Lightning Stakes as the undeniable favourite en route his second potential victory in the big race at Flemington Racecourse.