Desert Lightning (NZ) Joins Karaka 2021 Group One Club

The super-talented Desert Lightning (NZ) (Pride Of Dubai) added to the incredible Group One record of Karaka 2021 with a brilliant performance in Saturday’s $400,000 TAB Classic (1600m) at Trentham.

Desert Lightning became the ninth individual Group One winner to come out of Karaka 2021, joining Sharp ‘N’ Smart (NZ) (Redwood), Legarto (NZ) (Proisir), Prowess (NZ) (Proisir), Kovalica (NZ) (Ocean Park), Ruthless Dame (NZ) (Tavistock), Affaire A Suivre (NZ) (Astern), Dunkel (NZ) (Dundeel) and Romancing The Moon (NZ) (El Roca.

Bought by trainers Peter and Dawn Williams for $150,000 from Book 1 of Karaka 2021, Desert Lightning has now had 15 starts for four wins, five placings and $584,895 in stakes. He races in the colours of Sarah Green and Ger Beemsterboer’s Barneswood Farm.

He showed his class as a three-year-old last season with victory in the Group Two Avondale Guineas (2100m) and placings in the $1m Karaka Million 3YO (1600m), Group One New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) and Group Three Manawatu Classic (2000m).

After a win and a placing in his first two starts of this season, Desert Lightning stepped back into the big-race spotlight on Saturday and came away with the spoils.

Desert Lightning jumped from a wide gate and was driven forward by jockey Vinnie Colgan in the early stages of the race, drawing up on the outside of the front-running Town Cryer (NZ) (Tavistock).

Colgan pushed the button in the straight and Desert Lightning went for gold, kicking clear and taking command. Faraglioni (NZ) (El Roca), Malt Time (Adelaide) and Aegon (NZ) (Sacred Falls) chased hard through the last 150 metres, but Desert Lightning kept kicking and maintained a one-length advantage all the way to the finish.

“Full credit to my horse,” Colgan said. “We had an awkward gate and I had to use him up early. He got off the nickel a little bit at the 600 metres and I was a little worried, but then he came back up underneath me again and made me feel a lot better.

“He’s a very good horse and was strong right to the line. I think if something else had got to him a bit earlier in the straight, it would have actually helped him. It’s pretty windy today and I was out in front all by myself, and he did start to lug the last little bit. But every time he felt the presence of a horse coming, he lifted again. He’s a very good horse.”

Desert Lightning was bred by the Mahoenui Partnership and was offered at Karaka by Little Avondale Stud.