Black Caviar Lightning 2025 Betting Tips - Ciaron to claim his second Lightning

Alex Marsh

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Last updated: Wed 12 Feb 2025 12:34

Alex Marsh 12 Feb 2025

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Black Caviar Lightning is a prestigious Group 1 race held over 1000m at Flemington
Switzerland is currently favoured to win at $2.80, leading a competitive field
Tips: Growing Empire (best bet), I Am Me (next best), and Mazu (value each-way bet)

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Can Growing Empire turn the tables on Switzerland? (Getty)

The Black Caviar Lightning is a WFA Group 1 run over 1000m at Flemington, named after the wonder mare Black Caviar, who won this race in three consecutive years from 2011-2013.

2025 Black Caviar Lightning Tips
2025 Black Caviar Lightning Field & Odds

Worth $1 million, the Lightning is one of two Group 1 sprints held at Flemington during the Autumn, with the other being the Newmarket Handicap.

At $2.80 with JustBet, Switzerland is favourite to win the 2025 Black Caviar Lightning.

2025 Black Caviar Lightning Tips

2025 Black Caviar Lightning Best Bet - Growing Empire

I wouldn't be judging him too harshly off the somewhat flat performance in the Coolmore Stud Stakes last spring, where Growing Empire was at the end of a long campaign.

He arrived to that three-year-old feature off an honest fourth-up run in The Everest (looking for the paddock then?) and the colt was entitled to tire with another interstate trip thrown in.

The Ciaron Maher-trained youngster wasn't the finished product earlier this season and that second prep could be the making of Growing Empire, who has completed two jump-outs ahead of this return.

While there wasn't extended vision before his latest hit-out at Cranbourne, he appeared to have sweated up before than heat win and he bolted first-up in August despite getting a little worked up.

2025 Black Caviar Lightning Next Best Bet - I Am Me

On talent, there's at least a few of these who have I Am Me covered in this Black Caviar Lightning Stakes line-up, however, she's could be the best suited in this entire field over 1000m first-up.

The five-year-old has a terrific fresh record, with four wins and two thirds recorded from six first-up attempts, while she was a Flemington straight-track winner in her second campaign.

Although she's proven to be quite versatile in regard to distance (Group 1 placed at 1400m), she appears better suited in the 1000m-1100m range when campaigning at this level.

I Am Me has been sound in two public showings leading into her Black Caviar Lightning tilt and with a wide draw suiting up the straight course, this is her best chance of landing a Group 1.

2025 Black Caviar Lightning Value Bet - Mazu

The Group 1 winner was mostly consistent throughout last season, with included a Hall Mark Stakes victory last April and he broke a drought of almost two years when successful in that Group 3.

Interestingly, Mazu (barrier 11) will make just his second Melbourne appearance on Saturday and his sole Victorian run resulted in a fifth-of-fifteen finish in the 2023 Newmarket Handicap.

The best performances from his 2024 spring prep both came early, with a third in The Shorts on return before a narrow defeat in the Premiere Stakes (finished alongside of Bella Nipotina).

Mazu doesn't have the upside of the three-year-old fancies, but he's a seasoned performer who shouldn't be overlooked and any rain would bring him further into calculations.

2025 Black Caviar Lightning Field & Odds

No	Horse	Trainer	Jockey	Barrier	Weight	Odds
1	Mazu	Joseph Pride	Ben Melham	11	58.5kg	$21
2	Mornington Glory	Gavin Bedggood	Ethan Brown	9	58.5kg	$26
3	Joyful Fortune	Ben, Will & JD Hayes	Harry Coffey	1	58.5kg	$41
4	Way To The Stars	Matthew Smith	Luke Currie	8	58.5kg	$51
5	Philosopher	Enver Jusufovic	Michael Dee	10	58.5kg	$51
6	I Am Me	Ciaron Maher	Blake Shinn	12	56.5kg	$6.50
7	Benedetta	Jason Warren	Daniel Stackhouse	2	56.5kg	$14
8	Stretan Angel	Phillip Stokes	Lachlan Neindorf	5	56.5kg	$20
9	Skybird	Mitchell Freedman	John Allen	3	56.5kg	$41
10	Growing Empire	Ciaron Maher	Mark Zahra	6	55.5kg	$3.80
11	Switzerland	Chris Waller	James McDonald	7	55.5kg	$2.80
12	Traffic Warden	James Cummings	Jamie Melham	4	55.5kg	$6.50