2026 Black Caviar Lightning Results

Stay tuned for the official 2026 Black Caviar Lightning results and finishing order on Saturday February 14, 2026 and to see what autumn sprinters have the Newmarket Handicap in their sights!

• 1st: No. 4 Tentyris ($2.60F)
• 2nd: No. 7 My Gladiola
• 3rd: No. 3 Benedetta

Winning Margin: 0.75 lengths

Winning Time: 56.91 seconds

The Anthony & Sam Freedman-trained Coolmore Stud Stakes winning Street Boss colt Tentyris ($2.60F) was too good fresh making up ground late in a barnstorming finish thanks to a gun ride by Damian Lane to beat home his older rivals first-up for another Group 1 Flemington success in the 2026 Black Caviar Lightning results on Saturday. His win over the brave filly My Gladiola has him on target for a shot at the Group 1 $2 million Newmarket Handicap on March 7 pending a weight decision by the handicappers.

Click here for the full story.

Black Caviar Lightning Tips

2026 Black Caviar Lightning Tips

Stay tuned for our insider Black Caviar Lightning 2026 Tips on the short-distance sprint classic this autumn.

To Win: No. 1 Giga Kick 

While favourite Tentyris has plenty of hype behind him, his first-up record leaves a few question marks, so I’m siding with the proven star GIGA KICK (6) in this year’s Black Caviar Lightning. Clayton Douglas’s six-year-old is best known for his 2022 The Everest heroics, but he reminded everyone he’s still top-tier last prep with a powerhouse win in the Group 1 Champions Sprint down the Flemington straight. With Ethan Brown taking over from the injured Mark Zahra and having already partnered the $14.8 million earner in a recent Caulfield trial, the horse is clearly ticking over nicely. His Flemington record — three wins from five — speaks volumes, and the 1000m shouldn’t catch him out fresh. He’ll be charging late, and if he gets the breaks, he’s the one they’ll all be trying to hold off.

Black Caviar Lightning News

2026 Black Caviar Lightning Results: Tentyris Wins First-Up, Eyes Newmarket Target

• Tentyris Heads 2026 Black Caviar Lightning Field & Odds
• Black Caviar Lightning 2025 Results: Skybird, Stretan Angel 1-2 in Upset
• Three-Year-Olds Head 2025 Black Caviar Lightning Field & Odds
• 2024 Black Caviar Lightning Winner Imperatriz Too Good Again
• 2024 Black Caviar Lightning Field & Betting Update: Imperatriz Odds-On Fresh

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 $1,000,000 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) 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.

In 2020 the Black Caviar Lightning Stakes was won by Gytrash who went on to run top three in his next seven starts including running third in that season’s Newmarket Handicap and second in the William Reid Stakes. He also ran third in the spring’s now $20 million The Everest before winning the Winners’ Stakes.

The 2021 Black Caviar Lightning winner Nature Strip would continue on to win that year’s Group 1 TJ Smith Stakes and VRC Classic as well as The Everest.

Nature Strip returned in 2022 as the favourite to defend his title, but after missing the kick he could only manage to run second to his young stablemate Home Affairs in a thrilling photo-finish.

The 2022 Black Caviar Lightning form was franked with the runner-up Nature Strip going on to win a record-equalling third TJ Smith Stakes that autumn in Sydney before a successful international bid winning Royal Ascot’s Group 1 King’s Stand Stakes in 2022 by a big margin.

Nature Strip was disappointing in the 2023 Black Caviar Lightning Stakes results running ninth as the beaten odds-on favourite in a race won first-up by gun 1000m specialist filly Coolangatta.

The 2023 Black Caviar Lightning form was franked with the runner-up I Wish I Win running third next-up in the Newmarket Handicap trifecta before winning Sydney’s TJ Smith Stakes. He returned in the spring for a Group 1 Memsie Stakes third before a second in that year’s The Everest results.

Bella Nipotina meanwhile ran third in the 2023 Black Caviar Lightning before finishing top three in a host of subsequent feature races around the country including a third in the inaugural $4 million The Quokka slot race in WA. She also won the $3 million Winners Stakes in Sydney that spring.

The 2024 Lightning Stakes winner Imperatriz went on to run second in that year’s Newmarket Handicap before claiming her 10th career Group 1 win in the William Reid Stakes.

Skybird became the longest-priced Black Caviar Lightning Stakes winner in the race’s 71-year history when winning at $26 in 2025!

2026 Black Caviar Lightning Betting

The latest Black Caviar Lightning Stakes 2026 betting odds will be available at Ladbrokes.com.au and also published here at Races.com.au.

There was a notable upset in 2023 with the filly Coolangatta winning at $9 while the odds-on favourite Nature Strip finished a flat sixth.

Imperatriz ($1.60 in 2024) and Tentyris ($2.60 in 2026) are the latest Black Caviar Lightning betting favourites to win.

The biggest upset in Black Caviar Lightning history occurred in 2025 with Skybird winning at $26 odds beating home 20/1 fellow outsider Stretan Angel.

Black Caviar Lightning Field

2026 Black Caviar Lightning Form Guide

CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL 2026 BLACK CAVIAR LIGHTNING FORM GUIDE

2026 Black Caviar Lightning Stakes Nominations

The 2026 Black Caviar Lightning Stakes nominations will be published here the Monday of race week.

The Black Caviar Lightning 2026 nominations feature a host of resuming, star sprinters led in all-in betting by Anthony & Sam Freedman’s Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes winning colt Tentyris.

2026 Black Caviar Lightning nominations extended until 10:00am (AEDT) – 10/02/2026

Table Credit: Racing Australia.

2026 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.

Nature Strip (2021) completed the Black Caviar Lightning – The Everest – VRC Classic treble.

In 2026, Tentyris won the Black Caviar Lightning first-up having claimed victory in the previous spring’s Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes at the track.

The 2026 Black Caviar Lightning Stakes field will be provided below as soon as released by Racing Victoria the Wednesday before the race.

The Black Caviar Lightning 2026 final field features a small but classy line-up of eight autumn sprinters including resuming Champions Sprint winner Giga Kick, the spring’s Moir Stakes champ Baraqiel and Coolmore Stud Stakes winning colt Tentyris.

Click here to read more on the key runners in the 2026 Black Caviar Lightning field and betting markets.

Black Caviar Lightning Barrier & Speedmap

1

Benedetta Backmarker

2

Military Tycoon Pace

3

Beiwacht Pace

4

Marhoona Off Pace

5

Baraqiel Midfield

6

Giga Kick Backmarker

7

Tentyris Midfield

8

My Gladiola Off Midfield

Black Caviar Lightning 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.

Trainer Chris Waller ran the quinella in the Black Caviar Lightning in both 2021 with Nature Strip and September Run, and 2022 with Home Affairs and Nature Strip.

Home Affairs made history with his upset win in 2022 becoming the first three-year-old Lightning Stakes winner in 17 years since the 2005 victory of Fastnet Rock.

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

In 2023 Coolangatta became the first three-year-old filly to win the Lightning Stakes since Regimental Gal (2004).

Imperatriz (2024) and Skybird (2025) are the latest Black Caviar Lightning winning mares.

Tentyris (2026) is the latest three-year-old Black Caviar Lightning Stakes winner.

Black Caviar Lightning Previous Race Winners