Desert Lightning poised to strike again
The recent run of veterans winning the elite sprint races has emboldened trainer Peter Moody to chase Saturday’s Gr.1 Kingsford-Smith Cup (1300m) at Eagle Farm with Desert Lightning (NZ) (Pride Of Dubai).
Moody and training partner Katherine Coleman initially had the last start Gr.1 Goodwood winner aiming up for another shot at next month’s Gr.1 Stradbroke Handicap (1400m), but Moody said at Sandown on Saturday that the rising seven-year-old was up for the weight-for-age challenge this Saturday.
“You’ve got Jigsaw (seven-year-old), Desert Lightning (six-year-old) and Rothfire (eight-year-old) have won the last three feature sprints, so you are not going to run and hide the three-year-olds with 56.5 (kilograms),” Moody said of the Kingsford-Smith.
“The T J Smith winner Joliestar has gone to England as a six-year-old mare so where are the boom sprinters?”
Desert Lightning, who will again be ridden by Luke Nolen, has firmed in markets from $18 to $11 for Saturday’s feature and Moody said a repeat of his Goodwood effort should see him fighting out the finish.
“I was very confident in Adelaide so if we can win another one, it’s a bonus,” he said.
