Aussie G1 Goal for Desert Lightning
It didn't carry Black Type, but the $200,000 MVRC So You Think Stakes (1500m) at Moonee Valley was packed with intrigue and G1 winners with spring aspirations.
Former Kiwi galloper Desert Lightning (6g Pride of Dubai x Isstoora, by High Chaparral) landed a deserved victory in the feature race for trainers Peter Moody and Katherine Coleman, digging deep to stave off the challenge of imported G1 winner Moira (Can).
Desert Lightning has been unfortunate not to greet the judge first since winning the Group III Sandown Stakes (1500m) nearly 12 months ago, but has hardly gone a bad race in that time.
A G1 winner for now retired trainers Peter and Dawn Williams in New Zealand, Desert Lightning transferred across the Tasman last spring.
Given a perfect ride by comeback jockey Luke Nolen, Desert Lightning sat outside the leader Glint Of Silver before finding the front after turning for home and kicked on to win by a neck.
“It’s pretty special,” Coleman said. “We’ve got Chris and Sarah Green here from New Zealand, the owners of Desert Lightning and it's just really rewarding to get the win on the board.
“He's a very special horse to their family, and we've got a jockey that's pretty special to our family on board as well.
“It's fantastic to see both of them back in the winner’s stall.
“It was a tough performance from him. He's a really genuine horse and the Yulong horse (Moira) probably had the softer run than he did and was sort of cruising up on his outside. Our old boy had to really fight hard, so it was great to see.
“We're thinking that we might look to stretch him out a little bit more this time round and maybe we look to go to an Underwood Stakes (Gr.1, 1800m), but we'll see how he comes through today and go from there.”
Desert Lightning was a $150,000 purchase by Peter and Dawn Williams from Little Avondale Stud’s draft in Book 1 of Karaka 2021 and has now had 27 starts for seven wins and nine placings with $1.6 million in prizemoney for his owners, Sarah Green and Ger Beemsterboer’s Barneswood Farm.
Bred by the Mahoenui Partnership, Desert Lightning is the best of four winners from High Chaparral mare Isstoora, an unraced daughter of stakes winning juvenile Murjana from the Twyla branch of the Redoute’s Choice family that has produced last season’s Group I winners Tom Kitten and You Wahng.
Isstoora was bred by Sheikh Mohammed Bin Khalifa Al Maktoum and was onsold at the 2019 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale for $90,000 to Bruce Perry Bloodstock and made her way to New Zealand with a positive test to Pride of Dubai and Desert Lightning was the result of the mating.
Pride of Dubai is unbeatable value this spring at a fee of $27,500.