Lightning ready to rumble first-up in the 2025 PB Lawrence Stakes

Desert Lightning will resume his racing career this weekend in what could be the beginning of a campaign aimed at the Caulfield Cup.

The Peter Moody and Katherine Coleman-trained gelding takes his place in Saturday’s Group 2 PB Lawrence Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield. The field stands at ten following the scratching of Full Count Felicia from the Chris Waller yard.

It will be the six-year-old’s first run since finishing fourth in the Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) at Eagle Farm in June, where he finished just behind Saturday’s race favourite Private Eye.

Moody noted that the horse enjoyed extra time in the Queensland sun before returning to the stables at Pakenham last month. Previously under the guidance of Peter Williams in New Zealand, Desert Lightning transferred to Moody and Coleman after competing in the 2024 All-Star Mile.

Since joining his new trainers, Desert Lightning has not been asked to race beyond a mile, though he is nominated for both the Caulfield Cup (2400m) and Cox Plate (2040m) this spring.

“We may give him his chance to stretch out in trip this time around,” Moody said. “The Caulfield Cup, that’s all pie in the sky stuff at the moment, but we may give him his chance. He has won out to 2100 metres as a younger horse and I don’t think we’ve had him out past a mile since he’s been with us and that was in the Toorak last year.”

From barrier one, Ben Melham takes the reins. “Barrier one, it’s the shortest way home,” Moody said. “He enjoyed the benefit of a bit of Queensland weather on his back and he had a jump-out at Caulfield the other day and he seems in good order. It’s a very competitive race, as you would expect, but he goes into it in good order.”

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