Chain Of Lightning’s TJ Smith Stakes win immediately stamped her one of the headline acts of this year’s Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale, but whether she gets the chance to bolster her page this weekend could be weather dependant.
The daughter of Fighting Sun is not a certain starter in the $1.5 million Group 1 All Aged Stakes (1400m) if the rain predicted for Randwick on Saturday does not fall.
Chain Of Lightning relished the Heavy 8 track at Randwick on April 6 to score the biggest win of her 21-start career and while co-trainer Peter Moody does not think she needs those conditions to be a winning chance, she at least needs some give in the ground.
“She seems good, she’ done well, but she needs a shower of rain (and) hopefully it comes,” Moody said.
“She doesn’t need a Heavy track like she got the other day, but she needs a (Soft) 5 or a 6 with her toe in.”
Chain Of Lightning’s T J Smith Stakes win followed victory in the Group 3 Birthday Card Stakes (1200m), successes that broke a drought that stretched back to the Group 2 Tristarc Stakes in October 2022.
Runner-up in that event, Palaisipan, enhanced that form in last year’s Group 1 Tatt’s Tiara, but third placegetter Pride Of Jenni has taken it to another stratosphere with her deeds this season.
Moody, who trains with Katherine Coleman, is confident in Chain Of Lightning’s ability at 1400m providing she gets her favoured conditions.
“She’s a Group 2 winner at 1400, so that’s not an issue, but obviously at 1400 you ride her a bit more conservatively than you do at 1200,” Moody said.
Rachel King replaces Damian Lane aboard Chain Of Lightning, who will be striving to join Shamekha as the only mare to complete the T J Smith Stakes/All Aged Stakes double.
If she does not run in the T J Smith, Chain Of Lightning could run in Saturday week’s $1m Group 1 Robert Sangster Stakes (1200m) in Adelaide or head straight to Queensland, where the five-year-old will be offered for sale on May 28.
There are multiple Group 1 options in Brisbane, before and after the Magic Millions sale, while she has also been invited to run at Royal Ascot in late June and Moody said whatever happens post-sale will be up to the new owners of the Stuart Ramsey-bred-and-owned mare.
“That’s up to whoever buys her at the end of the day,” Moody said of the prospect of returning to Royal Ascot 12 years after his trip with Black Caviar.
“Someone might just buy her and take her to stud.”
