3 minute read
Timeform recap the 2017 Lightning Stakes won by Terravista for trainer Joe Pride and jockey Corey Brown.
The Lightning Stakes, historically one of the strongest races on the Australian racing calendar, had it's share of drama in 2017 but the story for punters was one about pace - or a lack thereof.
The Lightning conjures up images of wild electrical storms, but the first half of the 2017 Lightning would be better described as a damp drizzle, as high class sprinters dawdled to the halfway mark before being given the chance to show their true worth.
Terravista sprinted best with runner-up Spieth narrowly denied at the top level for the second consecutive time.
Both Terravista and Spieth returned a Timeform rating of 123 - on the low side for the Lightning - with less than a length covering the first five a legacy of the tepid early going.
The overall time was clearly hindered by the inefficient way that the race was run and returned a time rating of just 104. That is to say, the overall time was what could have been expected from a horse rated 104 under the prevailing conditions.
Without drifting too deep into the complexities of pace and efficiency the last 600m (60% of the race) was run in 32.2 seconds (just 56.23% of the overall time of 57.26 seconds) equating to a finishing speed of 106.7% when the fastest way to run the Flemington 1000m has been closer to 102%.
Put simply, the sectionals point to a rating in the low 120's being accurate despite the plain overall time.
The quality of horses in the Lightning almost assures that winners will come through it but it's hard to take the form on face value, particularly given that the races that lay ahead will almost certainly (surely!) be more testing.
A rating of 123 is still well short of the 128 rating that Terravista returned when winning the 2014 Darley Classic and it was just his second win since that day. His best runs in that time have both been in the Lightning but last year's Lightning was very soft early as well.
From 1000m to 1200m the emphasis shifts from anaerobic to aerobic. Despite this return to winning form the jury has to remain out whether Terravista retains the aerobic capacity he had in 2014 until proven otherwise.
Spieth has confirmed himself as a key player at the top level in Australia and his place at the pointy end of Newmarket betting is well deserved. He'll arrive there off a soft Lightning platform but he gets 1200m well and the Lightning has served as confirmation that he has come back in top order.
Star Turn ran third, and looked to have every chance, but his spring form shows that he would be much better served by a stronger gallop.
For 3yo colts looking to enhance their reputations for future stud duties the quest to win in the slowest time possible seems counter intuitive - let him rip!
Race favourite Flying Artie clearly had a bee in his bonnet after mucking up in the barriers and appeared very keen to get things over and done with once they opened.
He's undoubtedly more talented than his Lightning run suggests, and is a prime candidate for turnaround in form in the coming weeks, but being a top class racehorse is psychological as well as physical and he'll need to bring his manners in the future.
Although, as is the case with Star Turn, holding him up at such a slow pace seems sub-optimal with a horse capable of running fast times - let him rip!
