Warwick Farm horseman Bryce Heys is hoping his second shot at the bullseye with Spieth will land on the money this weekend in the Black Caviar Lightning Stakes 2017 at Flemington.
Darley Classic runner-up Spieth is back at Flemington first-up in the 2017 Black Caviar Lightning this Saturday. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.
Last November on the final day of the Melbourne Cup Carnival he threw the dart and came devastatingly close.
Thorn Park stallion Spieth – named after American pro golfer Jordan Spieth – came within a nostril flare of taking out the $1 million Group 1 Darley Classic (1200m).
It was a photo finish that didn’t go the way of Heys and his gun four-year-old, Spieth runner-up to Malaguerra in the famous straight sprint.
Try as he did, Heys couldn’t hold back the emotion of having come so close to that Group 1 success.
“I made an egg of myself, I didn’t want to be a sore loser, I wanted to be gracious in defeat and congratulate the winner but it was just a realisation that you don’t get many opportunities like that and when you’ve got limited darts, you can’t just hit the board, you’ve got to hit the bullseye,” the 31-year-old Kiwi expat told Racing Victoria this week.
On Saturday he is out for atonement saddling-up Spieth from barrier five of 13 in the weight-for-age $750,000 Group 1 Black Caviar Lightning (1000m).
“I like training fillies and I like training stayers, but the ultimate for me is getting good colts and running them down the straight in feature races,” Heys said.
“I believe it is the Blue Riband, like the 100m sprint final at the Olympics, there is plenty at stake, so much is riding on the result.”
It is the progressive horse’s first run over the short distance as Spieth shoots for his sixth win at career start number 10.
He is yet to win a Group event, his highest-rated victory to date being the Listed Tattersall’s Lightning (1100m) in mid-October at Randwick leading up to the Darley Classic.
Hugh Bowman of Winx fame is booked for the Black Caviar Lightning Stakes ride on Spieth this weekend and Heys is putting his full trust into the master hoop.
“I’ve done everything I can to have him right for this race, it is up to Hughie now,” he said.
Since the Darley Classic Spieth has trialled once at Warwick Farm over 797m for a nice third on January 23.
The past two Black Caviar Lightning winners both won first-up off a Darley Classic placing with Lankan Rupee (3rd in 2015) and Chautauqua (2nd in 2016).
Barrier five meanwhile last produced a winner in the race back in 2012 when Black Caviar won her second of an eventual three victories in the race then known simply as the Lightning Stakes.
Black Caviar Lightning Stakes odds at Ladbrokes.com.au have Spieth as an early market mover backed into $5.
He trails only the gun three-year-olds in the mix Star Turn ($4.60) and Flying Artie ($4.80) both resuming from barriers two and four respectively.
To back your Black Caviar Lightning 2017 tips at the right price on the weekend make sure you’ve got an open and ready to go at Ladbrokes.com.au – home of Odds Boost (T&Cs apply).
