The Barneswood Farm team are waiting with bated breath as their Group One winner Desert Lightning gets set to make his debut for new trainers Peter Moody and Katherine Coleman at Moonee Valley on Saturday.
The Pride of Dubai gelding was a standout for former trainers Peter and Dawn Williams, who selected him as a yearling out of Little Avondale Stud’s 2021 New Zealand Bloodstock Book 1 Yearling Sale draft for Barneswood Farm’s Chris and Sarah Green and Ger Beemsterboer, and went to $150,000 to secure him.
He showed plenty of promise early on, finishing fourth in the Group 1 Sistema Stakes (1200m) as a juvenile before returning the following season to win the Group 2 Avondale Guineas (2100m) and place in the Group 1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m), Karaka Million 3YO (1600m) and Group 3 Manawatu Classic (2100m).
He continued on his upward trajectory as a four-year-old last term, breaking through for his maiden elite-level victory in the Group 1 TAB Classic (1600m) at Trentham in December and repeated the same result in the inaugural $1 million Aotearoa Classic (1600m) at Ellerslie a month later, before placing in the Group 1 Otaki-Maori WFA Classic (1600m).
He closed out a pleasing season with an unplaced run in the All-Star Mile (1600m) at Caulfield, and he is set to make his second appearance in Melbourne this weekend under the care of new handlers to contest the Listed Chautauqua Stakes (1200m).
Desert Lightning entered the care of Pakenham conditioners Moody and Coleman a couple of months ago at the behest of his retiring former trainers, believing he was better placed in Melbourne.
“We were guided by Peter and Dawn Williams,” Chris Green said. “They said that he deserves his chance over there and they think he is good enough, so we should send him over.”
“Peter Moody seems like a nice guy and he communicates well. Everything seems to be going well at this stage.
“We will get a good line on him with it being his first run, so we are expecting him to improve after that.
“We wouldn’t have sent him over there if we didn’t believe he was good enough, but you never know, so we will just have to wait and see.”
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