Lightning Stakes Day

18/02/2023
Australia
Flemington
Winner - Coolangatta

Lightning Stakes Day

Hosting the first ever World Pool day in Australia, Lightning Stakes Day at Flemington Racecourse saw COOLANGATTA become the first filly to land the Group 1 feature since 2004.

Ridden by Jamie Kah and trained by Ciaran Maher & David Eustace, the three-year-old lowered the colours of hot-favourite NATURE STRIP, who held a prominent position from the outset but ultimately faded back into sixth.

Winning co-trainer Eustace was quick to state that Royal Ascot is a likely target for the daughter of Written Tycoon.

COOLANGATTA’s historic Lightning Stakes win was also chosen as the World Pool Moment of the Day, seeing winning groom Anna Weatherlake take home a cheque for HK$40,000.

Reported to be quite a highly-strung filly at home, COOLANGATTA has kept Weatherlake busy over the last two years of training. She said: “COOLANGATTA’s spicy and she’s got a lot of attitude about her, which is a good thing. She’s a gorgeous filly to work with every day, with a little bit of attitude on top!”

Weatherlake rides all of COOLANGATTA’s work at home and was responsible for strapping the horse on the day of the Lightning Stakes. She will now enter the chance to be crowned World Pool Moment of the Year and win a VIP trip to Hong Kong in 2024.

Derek and Killian Hennessy, groom and work rider for Luxembourg, speak to Tom Stanley after picking up their World Pool Moment of the Day prize.