Five Memorable Black Caviar Lightning Stakes Winners

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Last updated: Thu 12 Feb 2026 06:04

Bets.com.au Staff 12 Feb 2026

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The Black Caviar Lightning Stakes gained its Group 1 status in 1987
Sky High, Placid Ark, Mahogany, Takeover Target, and Black Caviar are top winners
Black Caviar triumphed thrice, leading to the race's renaming in 2013

Black Caviar wins her 23rd consecutive race, the Black Caviar Lightning Stakes at Flemington Racecourse in 2013. (Getty)

Renamed the Black Caviar Lightning Stakes in 2013, this famous sprint has carried Group 1 status since 1987 and boasts a strong list of winners since it was first run in 1955.

5 - Sky High (1961 & 1962)
4 - Placid Ark (1987)
3 - Mahogany (1995 & 1997)
2 - Takeover Target (2006)
1 - Black Caviar (2011, 2012 & 2013)
Black Caviar Lightning Stakes FAQ

We list our top five most famous winners below.

5 - Sky High (1961 & 1962)

Race Record: 55:29-10-9.

A versatile champion in the 1960s who, interestingly enough, won a Golden Slipper and Victoria Derby in the same calendar year (1960).

He wasn’t to be stopped when resuming in 1961, enjoying a hugely successful autumn that included Group 1 wins in the Futurity and All Aged Stakes, complemented by victory in the 1961 Lightning Stakes.

An Australian Racing Hall of Fame inductee, Sky High successfully defended his Lightning Stakes crown in 1962, held the Flemington 2000m track record until 1992, and has the privilege of having a Group 3 race named in his honour.

sky high stakes horse racing — Sky High is honored each year with a Group 3 race run over 2000 metres at Rosehill. (Getty)

4 - Placid Ark (1987)

Race Record: 21:14-2-1.

Purchased for just $5,000 as a yearling, this Western Australian champion produced a 1987 campaign of massive proportions.

He made history that year by becoming the first horse to complete the Lightning Stakes, Oakleigh Plate and Newmarket Handicap treble, with victories in the Winterbottom and Moir Stakes complementing that remarkable feat.

Sharing the 1986/1987 Australian Horse of the Year honours with Bonecrusher, Placid Ark can be seen running away with the 1987 Lightning Stakes below:

3 - Mahogany (1995 & 1997)

Race Record: 43:19-7-5.

We won’t see another two-time Derby and Lightning Stakes winner again, and with 13 victories at either Group 1 or 2 level (19 overall), there’s no doubting Mahogany was a superstar of the 1990s.

Given the honour of having a room named after him at Crown Casino, Mahogany was owned by Australian media tycoon Kerry Packer and Lloyd Williams.

Saved for fresh runs and sprinting trips as he got older, it’s easy to marvel at Mahogany’s versatility, and he can be seen below taking a tight gap late to win the 1997 Lightning Stakes.

2 - Takeover Target (2006)

Race Record: 41:21-6-4.

We could’ve easily included any of about half a dozen other Lightning Stakes winners from the early 2000s onward on this list, but none have the story of this globe-trotting sprinter.

Purchased by taxi driver and small-time trainer Joe Janiak for just $1,250 in July 2003, Takeover Target made that look like one of the greatest horse purchases in history, accruing more than $6 million in prize money.

A famous winner at Royal Ascot, along with Group 1 victories in Japan and Singapore, Takeover Target completed the Lightning Stakes and Newmarket double up the Flemington straight in 2006.

1 - Black Caviar (2011, 2012 & 2013)

Race Record: 25:25-0-0.

The number one mantle is an obvious choice and goes to Australia’s greatest ever sprinter, who was unbeaten in 25 starts.

Given the honour of having the race renamed the Black Caviar Lightning Stakes in 2013, “Nelly” marked the occasion in style, bringing up her third victory in the event by two and a half lengths.

Voted World Champion Sprinter for four consecutive years (2010-2013), we revisit the 2013 Black Caviar Lightning Stakes, which delivered win number 23.