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The Lightning Stakes, renamed the Black Caviar Lightning, is the first sprinting race of the Melbourne Autumn Racing Carnival and is a premier weight-for-age event. As a 1000m race, there are no turns and horses just battle it out on the straight of the Flemington race rack.

The $750,000 Black Caviar Lightning Stakes is the only 1000m Group 1 race held in Australia and since 2005 it has been the first leg of the Global Sprint Challenge. A possible lead-up to the Lightning Stakes is Caulfield’s Group 2 Rubition Stakes (1200m) on C.F. Orr Stakes Day a fortnight earlier, but many runners take to the track first-up.

The Black Caviar Lightning serves as a nice autumn racing guide to the upcoming Group 1 Newmarket Handicap (1200m) the following month back at Flemington and Black Caviar (2011), Lankan Rupee (2014) and Redkirk Warrior (2018) all recent winners of the double.

The 2020 Black Caviar Lightning Stakes ran on Saturday February 15, 2020 and was won in an upset by Gytrash ($21). 

Black Caviar Lightning Stakes 2020
Date:	Saturday February 15, 2020
Track:	Flemington Racecourse
Distance:	1000m
Race Type:	Weight-For-Age
Status:	Group 1
Prize Money:	$750,000

2020 Black Caviar Lightning Results

• 1st: #4 Gytrash 
• 2nd: #1 Redzel
• 3rd: #7 Loving Gaby

Returning short-distance specialist Gytrash ($21) took things to the next level with an upset in the Black Caviar Lightning 2020 results defeating two-time The Everest champion Redzel (2nd), Group 1 winning filly Loving Gaby (3rd) and the beaten odds-on favourite Nature Strip (4th).

Click here to read more on the upset 2020 Black Caviar Lightning win by Gytrash.

Place	#	Horse	Trainer	Jockey	Margin	Barrier	Weight	SP
1	4	GYTRASH	Gordon Richards	Mark Zahra	–	2	58.5kg	$21
2	1	REDZEL	Peter & Paul Snowden	Kerrin McEvoy	1L	1	58.5kg	$7.50
3	7	LOVING GABY	Ciaron Maher & David Eustace	Craig Williams	1.2L	6	53.5kg	$5
4	2	NATURE STRIP	Chris Waller	James McDonald	3.2L	5	58.5kg	$1.45F
5	5	I AM EXCITED	David Pfieffer	Ben Melham	3.5L	4	56.5kg	$61
6	3	DESPATCH	Tony & Calvin McEvoy	Luke Currie	4.75L	7	58.5kg	$51
7	6	TOFANE (NZ)	Michael Moroney	Dwayne Dunn	6L	3	56.5kg	$19

2020 Black Caviar Lightning Odds

The latest Black Caviar Lightning Stakes 2020 betting odds will be available below the week of the race complete with market links to Ladbrokes.com.au.

2020 Black Caviar Lightning Stakes Field

The Black Caviar Lightning Field attracts a line-up of the autumn’s best sprinters including those spring stars resuming off campaigns the season prior that included runs in races like The Everest and VRC Classic. In 2019 the Black Caviar Lightning winner In Her Time improved on a last start second in the previous November’s VRC Classic down the ‘Straight Six’ at Flemington over the Melbourne Cup Carnival.

The 2020 Black Caviar Lightning Stakes field will be provided below as soon as released by Racing Victoria the Wednesday before the race.

Just seven sprinters will face off in this year’s Black Caviar Lightning 2020 final field with Flemington track specialist Nature Strip (5) odds-on to make it five-from-five at HQ in his first run since taking out the Group 1 VRC Classic here by over three lengths last November.

Click here to read more on the Nature Strip dominated 2020 Black Caviar Lightning Stakes field.

#	Form (Last 10)	Horse	Trainer	Jockey	Barrier	Weight	Hcp. Rating
1	x2862x138x	REDZEL	Peter & Paul Snowden	Kerrin McEvoy	1	58.5kg	116
2	1014x4141x	NATURE STRIP	Chris Waller	James McDonald	5	58.5kg	116
3	1110x4509x	DESPATCH	Tony & Calvin McEvoy	Luke Currie	7	58.5kg	106
4	x113011x2x	GYTRASH	Gordon Richards	Mark Zahra	2	58.5kg	97
5	368105x77x	I AM EXCITED	David Pfieffer	Ben Melham	4	56.5kg	106
6	152x41011x	TOFANE (NZ)	Michael Moroney	Dwayne Dunn	3	56.5kg	103
7	6422x1212x	LOVING GABY	Ciaron Maher & David Eustace	Craig Williams	6	53.5kg	111

2020 Black Caviar Lightning Stakes Nominations

The 2020 Black Caviar Lightning Stakes nominations will be published here the Monday of race week.

The Black Caviar Lightning 2020 nominations drew 13 star sprinters with early entries extended until 10am (AEDT) on Tuesday 11/02. Of the original entries it is Nature Strip dominating the markets, already odds-on to win his return following the Chris Waller-trained champion’s last start VRC Classic win.

Read more on the 2020 Black Caviar Lightning nominations feature Nature Strip and Redzel.

#	Form (Last 10)	Horse	Sex	Age	Trainer	Hcp. Rating
1	1110x4509x	DESPATCH	G	5	Tony & Calvin McEvoy	106
2	36x32441x	DIRTY WORK	C	3	Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes	70
3	06142x257x	GIFT OF POWER (NZ)	M	5	Anthony Freedman	96
4	x113011x2x	GYTRASH	G	4	Gordon Richards	97
5	368105x77x	I AM EXCITED	M	5	David Pfieffer	106
6	117x7x2	I AM IMMORTAL	C	3	Anthony Freedman	89
7	211x1133x	LIBERTINI	F	3	Anthony Cummings	98
8	6422x1212x	LOVING GABY	F	3	Ciaron Maher & David Eustace	111
9	2132x721x0	MISS LEONIDAS	M	5	Shaun Dwyer	107
10	1014x4141x	NATURE STRIP	G	5	Chris Waller	116
11	577561360x	QUEEN ANNABEL	M	6	Rebecca Kelly	82
12	x2862x138x	REDZEL	G	7	Peter & Paul Snowden	–
13	152x41011x	TOFANE (NZ)	M	4	Michael Moroney	103

Lightning Stakes History

First won by Gay Vista in 1955, the Lightning Stakes has attracted plenty of standout horses, jockeys and trainers. Bart Cummings has won the event a record eight times with Storm Queen in 1967, Century in 1974, Cap D’antibes in 1975, Maybe Mahal in 1977-78, Demus in 1983, Hula Chief in 1986 and Shaftsbury Avenue in 1991.

Jockey Harry White has won the Lightning Stakes on top of four horses, The Judge in 1979, Cap D’antibes in 1975, Zambari in 1972 and Black Onyx in 1970. Damien Oliver has also won four Lightning Stakes races with three horses; Schillaci in 1992-93, Gold Ace in 1996 and Testa Rossa in 2000. There have also been plenty of double winners starting with Sky High in 1961-62, Wenona Girl in 1963-64, Maybe Mahal in 1977-78, River Rough in 1984-85 and Schillci in 1992-93.

In 1980, the Lightning Stakes became a Group 2 race and then seven years later in 1987 it was elevated to Group 1 status.

The 2018 Black Caviar Lightning Stakes results produced a shock winner in Redkirk Warrior who ran down the odds-on favourite Redzel. Redkirk Warrior would go on to also successfully defend his title in the Group 1 Newmarket Handicap.

The Lightning Stakes has been renamed the Black Caviar Lightning Stakes in honour of champion sprinter Black Caviar.

Recent Lightning Stakes Winners

Year	Place	Horse	Time
2020 Black Caviar Lightning Stakes	1st	Gytrash	57.53 seconds
	2nd	Redzel
	3rd	Loving Gaby
2019 Black Caviar Lightning Stakes	1st	In Her Time	56.69 seconds
	2nd	Osborne Bulls
	3rd	Sunlight
2018 Black Caviar Lightning Stakes	1st	Redkirk Warrior	56.33 seconds
	2nd	Redzel
	3rd	Missrock
2017 Black Caviar Lightning Stakes	1st	Terravista	57.26 seconds
	2nd	Spieth
	3rd	Star Turn
2016 Black Caviar Lightning Stakes	1st	Chautauqua	57.02 seconds
	2nd	Terravista
	3rd	Japonisme
2015 Black Caviar Lightning Stakes	1st	Lankan Rupee	56.29 seconds
	2nd	Brazen Beau
	3rd	Deep Field
2014 Black Caviar Lightning Stakes	1st	Snitzerland	57.16 seconds
	2nd	Shamexpress
	3rd	Samaready
2013 Black Caviar Lightning Stakes	1st	Black Caviar	55.42 seconds
	2nd	Moment Of Change
	3rd	Golden Archer
2012 Lightning Stakes	1st	Black Caviar	55.53 seconds
	2nd	Hay List
	3rd	Buffering
2011 Lightning Stakes	1st	Black Caviar	57.20 seconds
	2nd	Hay List
	3rd	Warm Love
2010 Lightning Stakes	1st	Nicconi	57.12 seconds
	2nd	Wanted
	3rd	Shellscrape
2009 Lightning Stakes	1st	Scenic Blast	56.9 seconds
	2nd	Typhoon Zed
	3rd	Grand Duels
2008 Lightning Stakes	1st	Apache Cat	57.3 seconds
	2nd	Swick
	3rd	Stanzout
2007 Lightning Stakes	1st	Miss Andretti	57.2 seconds
	2nd	Magnus
	3rd	Ticklish
2006 Lightning Stakes	1st	Takeover Target	56.8 seconds
	2nd	Gods Own
	3rd	Cape Of Good Hope
2005 Lightning Stakes	1st	Fastnet Rock	57.3 seconds
	2nd	Alinghi
	3rd	Cape Of Good Hope
2004 Lightning Stakes	1st	Regimental Gal	57 seconds
	2nd	Our Egyptian Raine
	3rd	Mistegic
2003 Lightning Stakes	1st	Choisir	56.9 seconds
	2nd	Spinning Hill
	3rd	Azevedo
2002 Lightning Stakes	1st	Spinning Hill	57.1 seconds
	2nd	Mistegic
	3rd	Chong Tong
2001 Lightning Stakes	1st	Sports	57 seconds
	2nd	Black Bean
	3rd	Easy Rocking
2000 Lightning Stakes	1st	Testa Rossa	56 seconds
	2nd	Falvelon
	3rd	Magic Music