Black Caviar Lightning News

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
• Black Caviar Lightning 2023 Results: Royal Ascot Dreams for Winning Filly Coolangatta
• Black Caviar Lightning 2023 Update: Roch ‘N’ Horse Scratched, No Nature Strip Rematch

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.

2025 Black Caviar Lightning Results

• 1st: #9 Skybird ($26)
• 2nd: #8 Stretan Angel
• 3rd: #7 Benedetta

History was made in the shock Black Caviar Lightning 2025 results at Flemington on Saturday with Mitchell Freedman’s Exosphere mare, Skybird ($26), driving through from last to first to score an impressive upset to become the race’s longest-priced winner ahead of a likely run in the Newmarket Handicap on March 8.

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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) 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.

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!

The 2025 Black Caviar Lightning Stakes ran on Saturday February 15, 2025 at Flemington Racecourse and was won in a stylish last-to-first upset by the Mitchell Freedman trained Exosphere mare Skybird ($26). 

2025 Black Caviar Lightning Finishing Order

Table Credit: Racing Australia.

2025 Black Caviar Lightning Betting

The latest Black Caviar Lightning Stakes 2025 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) is the last Black Caviar Lightning betting favourite 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.

2025 Black Caviar Lightning Form Guide

CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL 2025 BLACK CAVIAR LIGHTNING FORM GUIDE

2025 Black Caviar Lightning Tips

Stay tuned for our insider Black Caviar Lightning 2025 Tips on the short-distance sprint classic this autumn.

• To Win: #11 Switzerland ($2.90 at time of publish) – BET NOW

Happy to stick with the young, resuming favourite with Chris Waller’s Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes winning colt the punters’ pick fresh for the autumn. The son of Snitzel enjoyed a stellar spring, is proven at the track, goes well first-up, and will be partnered by James McDonald. He’ll need to be good kicking off his campaign against the older horses but ticks plenty of boxes and will love the 55.5kg. Can win.

2025 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.

The 2025 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 2025 field features a smart line-up of autumn sprinters including Chris Waller’s class colt Switzerland racing for the first time since his Coolmore Stud Stakes win here in the spring and early market mover I Am Me also first-up for Ciaron Maher.

Click here to read more on the key runners in the 2025 Black Caviar Lightning field and betting markets.

Table Credit: Racing Australia.

2025 Black Caviar Lightning Stakes Nominations

The 2025 Black Caviar Lightning Stakes nominations will be published here the Monday of race week.

The Black Caviar Lightning 2025 nominations attracted 15 smart sprinters led in all-in betting by Chris Waller’s returning Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes winning colt Switzerland and the Ciaron Maher trained Zoustar three-year-old Growing Empire who ran third in The Everest and Coolmore last prep.

Table Credit: Racing Australia.

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.

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.

Recent Lightning Stakes Winners

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