Australian sprinting stars were joined by topline performers of the past on Saturday, honoring one of the greatest racehorses Australia has seen.
Royal Ascot winner Nature Strip was the drawcard as 'Living Legends' and former Hong Kong greats Silent Witness and Good Ba Ba looked on with Group 1 action returning to Flemington for the $1 million Black Caviar Lightning Stakes down the straight 1000m (five furlongs).
Alas, it wasn't to be for 2021 winner of the Group 1 Black Caviar Lightning Stakes, Nature Strip, who finished sixth while the Ciaron Maher and Dave Eustace-trained Coolangatta notched her second win at the highest level.
Finishing fifth at her last start in the Group 1 Champions Sprint (1200m, six furlongs) on the final day of the Melbourne Cup Carnival last November, Coolangatta stepped up and delivered.
“It's massive, It is a great race to win. I've had some amazing support since I won the Lightning two years ago,” winning rider Jamie Kah said.
While winning the Lightning is one lofty achievement, a Royal Ascot crown could be in the offing.
“From here the dream would be Royal Ascot for everyone involved, she's shown she likes the straight and I think everyone in the group would be keen to go there,” Dave Eustace said.
Meanwhile, the Australian Guineas is the next stop for Elliptical after the 'more mature' e-year-old sustained an eye-catching sprint to claim the Group 3 CS Hayes Stakes. Elliptical will attempt to become the ninth horse to win his race and go on to claim the Guineas to be run at Flemington on March 4.
First-up since finishing seventh – less than four lengths from Zaaki – in the Group 1 TAB Champions Stakes, trainers Anthony and Sam Freedman thought that 'toughening up' is what Elliptical needed to do.
Anthony Freedman said the Champions Stakes contest was likely to have done just that.
“We really just wanted him to be strong late and if we won that was great so to get up and do it points to good things,” Freedman added.
Freedman described the Guineas as “the obvious way to go.”
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