Lightning Strike–Imperatriz wins again

Imperatriz winning the 2024 Black Caviar Lightning Stakes

Over the past decade I have attended Lightning Stakes Day at Flemington many times.

This year with super star sprinter Imperatriz being set to run, it was a no brainer to be present again, so I headed off to the big track last Saturday for the event.

Happily it was a sunny day, quite warm in fact, and I arrived at the track shortly after 1.00 pm and was in plenty of time to get to my favourite possie on the fence to witness the Talindert Stakes, a race for two year olds over 1100 metres.

The bizarrely named Aardvark won the race by a little over length with Reasonable Point and Bittercreek running the minor places.

Aardvark wins the Talindert Stakes

I gave Race 4 a miss and decided to visit the stalls area to get a photo of Imperatriz.

Imperatriz in her stall looking bright & beautiful

Race 5 was the Group 3 Frances Tressady Stakes, run over 1400 metres for fillies and mares.

Revolutionary Miss who I recall witnessing winning the Blue Diamond Prelude in 2022, proved the winner in this race, narrowly beating Forbidden City and Fortunate Kiss.

Revolutionary Miss wins the Frances Tressady Stakes from Forbidden City

The the Group 3 Vanity was next up and Grizinger Belle, who led from the start, prevailed to win comfortably from French Endeavour and Mollyknickers.

Grizinger Belle wins The Vanity

The colts equivalent of The Vanity, the C S Hayes Stakes, followed and 2023 Victorian Derby winner, Riff Rocket, surprised everyone with a solid victory, running from the tail of the field to overtake King Colorado and score the bickies. Verdad ran third.

Riff Rocket wins the C S Hayes Stakes

Riff Rocket on his way to barriers

Flemington was in Carnival mode with a small band entertaining the crowd and stilt walkers cruising the public lawn.

Stilt walker posing for photograph.

It wasn’t all that crowded last Saturday so it was easy to get around when seeking shade from the sun.

The feature event was of course the Group 1 Black Caviar Lightning. It was renamed in Black Caviar’s honour in 2013 to recognise her dominance in the event. She won it three years consecutively from 2011 to 2013.

Imperatriz was the hot favourite this year and she won by a short margin after overtaking Private Eye in the straight.

Imperatriz returns to scale

Calling it quits after the Black Caviar Lightning I headed home, pleased to have attended to have seen Imperatriz win yet again.

Her next race I assume will be the Group 1 William Reid Stakes at Moonee Valley in late March – I’ve already  purchased a ticket!.

Next Saturday I plan to go to the Blue Diamond Stakes meeting at Caulfield.

Rocket Man – Victoria Derby Review

Riff Rocket wins the 2023 Victoria Derby

It wasn’t what you would call a first class race meeting, but as Derby Day at Flemington kicks off the Melbourne Cup mini carnival I decided to attend.

The weather was fine and mostly sunny with light winds, so it was a pleasant day to be outdoors and soak up some Vitamin D along with the racing action.

As trains to the track were running all afternoon I had no trouble getting to Flemington and arrived just before Race 3, which happened to be the Group 3 Furphy Sprint, run over 1100 metres.

Either I’m out of the loop, or perhaps just jaded as far as horse racing is concerned, but few of the contenders for the Furphy Sprint were familiar to me.

Queen of The Ball won the race from Hypothetical and Dancing Alone quite easily.

Queen of The Ball wins the Furphy Sprint

Next up was the Group 3 Rising Fast Stakes over 1200 metres, which resulted in a narrow win for Spacewalk from Crosshaven with Najem Suhail running third.

On a side note, Rising Fast who won the 1954 Melbourne Cup was a first class racehorse who also won the Caulfield Cup in 1954 and 1955,  as well as the 1954 Cox Plate, and is the first racehorse I was ever aware of back in 1954 at the tender age of seven when living in the bush. 

 
Newspaper photo of Rising Fast from my old racehorse scrap book

Spacewalk and Crosshaven fight out the Rising Fast Stakes finish

Race 5 was the rather more interesting Group 2 Wakeful Stakes, a race over 2000 metres for fillies, where Amazonian Lass, leading from the start, hung on for a close win from Zardozi.

Amazonian Lass (yellow) wins the Wakeful Stakes from Zardozi

Derby Day included three Group 1 races, the first of these being the Coolmore Stud Stakes. Run over 1200 metres,  it is a race for three year olds and the 2023 edition resulted in a win for Sydney colt Ozzmosis who raced on the pace throughout to win by over a length from I’m Unstoppable with 2023 Golden Slipper winner Shinzo running third.

Ozzmosis (white) overtaking I’m Unstoppable and Shinzo to win the Coolmore Stud Stakes

Unlike Caulfield who schedule the feature races towards the end of the program, Flemington run theirs mid afternoon. so the Victoria Derby was up next at the reasonable time of 4.20 pm.

Riff Rocket started as the short odds favourite and raced in the back end of the field. He stormed home to win narrowly from Apulia and Sunsets in a photo finish.

Riff Rocket wins the Victoria Derby 

I didn’t stay for the third Group 1, the Empire Rose Stakes which was won by Pride of Jenni who led from start to finish. Atishu ran second and Life lessons third.

Attending Derby Day has put me off going to the Melbourne Cup that I was contemplating doing. I’d forgotten how tedious Spring racing crowds can be, even though Derby Day was not as crowded as some I’ve been to.

Besides, the weather on Melbourne Cup day is forecast to be pretty awful.

I managed to catch the train back to Flinders Street in no time at all and was glad to sit down on a seat that was not a plastic fold out stool.

Last year I thought Champions Stakes Day  a superior meeting to Derby Day,  so will probably attend it next Saturday and hope for classier fields than those on offer last Saturday.