The first Group 1 of the Melbourne Autumn Carnival in 2026 will feature eight starters in the Black Caviar Lightning at Flemington.
Strikingly, for a race open to all ages and sexes, the three-year-old fillies boast the highest representation.
Three such fillies are entered out of eight for the 1000m test, pursuing a third win in the event over the past 25 years.
Regimental Gal provided the fillies’ success in 2004, with Coolangatta achieving it most recently in 2023.
Six-year-old mare Benedetta joins them, positioning the females to potentially raise their count to four in the Black Caviar Lightning after victories by Coolangatta, Imperatriz and Skybird in the previous three runnings.
My Gladiola and Military Tycoon, both Melbourne-trained fillies, will accompany Michael Freedman’s Marhoona, who has been quartered at Flemington for slightly over one week in readiness for the Group 1 dash on Saturday.
Marhoona exhibited top-class form at two when chasing Tempted home in the Reisling Slipper at Randwick, then annexing the Group 1 Golden Slipper (1200m) next at Rosehill.
In spring, she competed just twice: victorious on debut in the Heritage Stakes at Rosehill, then third in the Roman Consul Stakes at the same track.
Freedman indicated Golden Slipper winners face difficulties returning at three, but Marhoona is primed for autumn action, evidenced by her trial win against Autumn Glow at Randwick on January 27.
“I think she has come back great,” Freedman said.
“Slipper-winning fillies aren’t easy to place, especially the ones that are more sprinting types.
She is already a Group 1 winner so we want to try to line her up in races that can only potentially enhance her page, so we had a chat about it and thought we’d have a crack at the Lightning.”
No worries for Freedman regarding Marhoona’s straight course novelty, as stablemate Pallaton won there on Melbourne Cup Day.
The filly gets a new jockey in Michael Dee.
“We had Craig Williams booked, but he is suspended on Saturday, so we had to make a bit of a late change,” Freedman said.
Check the racing betting markets for the Black Caviar Lightning to find the strongest prices.
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