2026 Black Caviar Lightning Contenders

First run in 1955, the Group 1 Black Caviar Lightning (1000m) has long stood as one of Australia’s premier sprint races.

Originally known as the Lightning Stakes, it was renamed in 2013 in honour of the legendary unbeaten mare Black Caviar, who won the race three years running during her flawless 25-start career.

The Lightning’s honour roll tells a story of pure speed and class. Its history is stacked with turf royalty. Star sprint mares such as Maybe Mahal, Special, Miss Andretti, and Imperatriz, alongside household names like Schillaci, Takeover Target, Apache Cat, and Chautauqua.

Notably, several former winners have sired subsequent Lightning champions, including The Judge (Zeditave), Zeditave (Sports), General Nediym (Regimental Gal), and Nicconi (Nature Strip).

Three-year-olds have been the most successful age group, producing 24 of the race’s 71 winners. Males have traditionally held the upper hand, accounting for 45 winners, while freshness has proven a powerful weapon, with 43 horses having been first-up from a spell (at least 60 days between starts), including the last thirteen straight.

Which star sprinter will add their name to the history books and strengthen their legacy in this time-honoured dash down the Flemington straight?

We take a look at some of the leading contenders targeting the Lightning.

Giga Kick was once the toast of the sprinting landscape in Australia, but niggling injuries forced Mornington trainer, Clayton Douglas, to take a conservative approach with his stable star. But he has reaped the rewards of that approach after Giga Kick returned to his brilliant best last spring, claiming the Group 2 Schillaci Stakes (1100m) first up before a breathtaking win in the Group 1 VRC Champions Sprint (1000m) announced his return to the throne. And history's on his side with the record of horses going into the Lightning fresh being impeccable.

Tentyris emerged as one of the standout three-year-olds of the 2025 spring, showcasing his class with a brilliant victory in the Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m) on Howden Victoria Derby Day. In a dramatic last-to-first performance, the colt showed no hesitation when jockey Mark Zahra urged him through a narrow gap, defeating a high-quality field that included talented filly, My Gladiola. Holding a 2-1 head-to-head advantage over her, Tentyris now looks poised to renew that rivalry in the 1000-metre feature. Twelve three-year-old colts have claimed the Lightning, more than any other group, the most recent being Home Affairs, who narrowly edged out sprinting superstar Nature Strip in 2022.

Nine three-year-old fillies have won the Lightning, the most recent being Coolangatta in 2023. Overall, three-year-olds have dominated the race’s history, accounting for 24 of the 71 winners since its inception in 1955. My Gladiola’s run behind Tentyris in last spring’s Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m) was outstanding, and arguably unlucky. Both horses settled near the rear and waited for the runs to appear, but it was Tentyris who found the gap and surged home. A rematch now looms in the 1000-metre feature, with the chestnut colt holding a 2–1 head-to-head edge over the grey filly.

The Bjorn Baker-trained sprinter rediscovered his best form after an moderate spring campaign in 2024, where he went unplaced in five starts across Melbourne and Sydney. His resurgence began with a strong autumn return, claiming the Listed Ortensia Stakes (1100m) at Scone in his only run for the prep. A sharp closing effort behind Rothfire in the Group 3 Sydney Stakes (1200m) caught plenty of attention and justified his favouritism in the Group 3 Rising Fast Stakes (1200m) on Howden Victoria Derby Day. Racing closer to the speed, he was in control throughout to record a commanding victory that prompted Baker to test him at the elite level in the Group 1 VRC Champions Sprint (1200m), where he finished six lengths adrift of Giga Kick on a heavily rain-affected track. A recent twelve-length trial win at Rosehill suggests the five-year-old is back in top order and ready to make his presence felt down the Flemington straight.

An injury-interrupted career has arguably denied the sprinting ranks the chance to see more of Baraqiel’s brilliance, but the lightly raced gelding has still made his presence felt. He broke through for his maiden Group 1 victory in the Moir Stakes (1000m) at Moonee Valley, surging late through the pack to secure the feature and push his earnings beyond the million-dollar mark. He was not seen for the remainder of the spring of 2025 after a second-placed finish in the Group 1 Manikato Stakes (1200m). The Malua Racing team have earmarked some ambitious plans for the son of Snitzel, with connections keeping their options open to a potential trip to Dubai, following a similar path to former stablemate The Astrologist, who finished a gallant second in the Group 1 Al Quoz Sprint (1200m) before an extended international campaign in the English spring racing season.