We are down to the final Group 1 of the season, the Sky Racing Tattersall's Tiara (1400m) for fillies and mares at Eagle Farm on Saturday, and as the betting suggests, it's a wide-open race.
Chain Of Lightning arrived at the Peter Moody stable with wins at Inverell and Armidale for Stirling Osland.
Chain Of Lightning wins the Cockram Stakes (image Grant Courtney)
The Stuart Ramsay homebred daughter of Fighting Sun added wins at Caulfield and Flemington before keeping her record at a perfect five for five when defeating a class field of mares in the Group III Cockram Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield last August.
Three weeks later, Chain Of Lightning finished third behind Zapateo and Lavish Girl in the Group III How Now stakes before bouncing back to win the Group II Tristarc Stakes at Caulfield in October.
Never a factor in the $10,000,000 Golden Eagle won by stablemate I Wish I Win, Chain Of Lightning had fifteen weeks off before reappearing with a third to Lofty Strike and Uncommon James in the Group II Rubiton Stakes at Sandown.
Those two fought out the finish of the Group 1 Oakleigh Plate, with Chain Of Lightning clocking in eighth.
That was the start of five consecutive Group 1 contests for the 4yo mare, which took in the Newmarket Hcp, William Reid Stakes, Robert Sangster Stakes and Stradbroke Hcp. While she failed to place in any of them, neither was she disgraced.
She had little luck when fourth in the Sangster Stakes, less than a length behind the Tatt's Tiara second favourite Ruthless Dame.
The proprietor of Turangga Stud, Stuart Ramsay, bred Chain Of Lightning, her sire Fighting Sun, and dam Magic Art.
A $180,000 Magic Millions purchase for Gai Waterhouse and James Harron, Fighting Sun won at Rosehill on debut before adding the Listed Canonbury Stakes on the same track.
Chain Of Lightning can she credit her sire with a posthumous Group 1? (image Grant Courtney)
Unfortunately, the second crop son of Northern Meteor came out of the race with a career-ending injury.
Fighting Sun spent six seasons at Sun Stud before colic claimed him.
Chain Of Lightning comes from his fourth crop and is his standout performer.
The Peter Moody-trained mare is the best of two winners from as many to race for the winning Perugino mare Magic Art.
Like her daughter, Magic Art was trained by Peter Moody and carried the green, white braces, yellow hooped sleeves and cap. Her lone victory in four starts came in a Bairnsdale maiden and placed at Morphettville and Kilmore.
A daughter of the Group III Magic Night Stakes winner Mardi's Magic (Kenny's Best Pal), Magic Art sold at the Inglis July (Late) Online Sale for just $3,250 carrying a filly by Better Land.
Magic Art has a yearling colt by Magna Grecia (IRE), which was a $375,000 purchase for Freedman Racing / Julian Blaxland Bloodstock (FBAA) from the Davali Thoroughbreds draft at the 2023 Inglis Easter Yearling Sale.
The $375,000 Magna Grecia (IRE) half-brother to Chain Of Lightning
Blue Ruby (Lonhro), a half-sister to Magic Art, is the dam of Glint Of Silver (Rubick), who won the Group II MRC Autumn Stakes at Sandown in February.
Mardi’s Magic is a sister to Surrealist, the dam of five-time Group 1 winner Racing To Win, Group III winner Purrealist, and Pinocchio, the dam of Classique Legend and Athero.
Chain Of Lightning traces back to arguably the most influential mare in history, La Troienne (FR), through her great-great-granddaughter Hula Bend (Never Bend), dam of Group 1 AJC Doncaster Handicap winner Hula Chief and Group 1 STC George Ryder Stakes winner Hula Drum.
