Date posted January 28, 2010 | Posted by Michele Cullen | Filed under
Racing and Breeding,
Staff FavouritesMelbourne, Vic (Jan 28th, 2010) - Racing fans have another wonderful day’s racing this Saturday at Flemington with the running of the Group I $500,000 Lightning Stakes, up the famous Flemington straight course over 1000m.
The Lightning Stakes is the first leg of the Global Sprint challenge which culminates with the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Sprint in December and it promises to see the return to racing of several of the best sprinting horses in Australia along with America’s Cannonball.
Cannonball, who raced in Hong Kong last December, will be up against the promising three-year-olds Headway, Wanted and Irish Lights, along with the older Duporth and Nicconi.
Four winners of the Lightning in the past seven years have gone on to win the Group I Kings Stand Stakes (1000m) at Royal Ascot. They were Choisir (2003), Takeover Target (2006), Miss Andretti (2007) and Scenic Blast last year.
“Whatever comes out of the Lightning becomes an automatic choice (for Royal Ascot). That is how far the race has progressed in recent years,” said Royal Ascot’s international scout Nick Smith.
While, the past three winners of the Lightning have also gone on to contest the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Sprint later in the year. Apache Cat was beaten just a half-length in the Hong Kong Sprint in 2008 while Miss Andretti (2007) and Scenic Blast (2009) were unplaced.
On the other hand, Hong Kong’s top class sprinter Cape Of Good Hope ran third in the Lightning in 2005 and 2006 through his Hong Kong career which saw him post 11 top four finishes in major sprint races in Australia, Japan and England.
No international visitor has been placed in the VRC’s race since Cape Of Good Hope but Declan Murphy, who is looking after Cannonball on behalf of USA trainer Wesley Ward, is hopeful that will change this year.
“The horse has done really well here in Australia. I couldn’t be happier with him and I think it’s best you overlook his failure in Hong Kong. He was a bit scratchy after the race there and I’m sure he just wasn’t at his top for that event,’ Murphy said.
Trainer Ward won wide plaudits last year with his success at Royal Ascot and legendary American jockey Patrick Valenzuela, 47, will comes to Melbourne to ride Cannonball. Valenzuela has ridden more than 4000 winners including the Kentucky Derby on Sunday Silence.
