The Anthony and Sam Freedman stable is eagerly awaiting the handicapper’s assessment of their star colt Tentyris, whose victory in Saturday’s 2026 Black Caviar Lightning Stakes has placed a potential Newmarket Handicap bid front and center.

2026 Black Caviar Lightning winner Tentyris is likely to target the Newmarket Handicap on March 7. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.

The explosive son of Street Boss picked up exactly where he left off in the spring, securing his third consecutive win with a dominant first-up performance.

Despite taking on a seasoned field of older sprinters, the three-year-old justified his heavy market support at HQ, saluting for punters in the $1 million Group 1 feature over 1000m.

Having already captured the Coolmore Stud Stakes in November, Tentyris cemented his status as a sprinting elite, becoming the third three-year-old to win the Black Caviar Lightning in five years, joining the illustrious company of Home Affairs (2022) and the filly Coolangatta (2023).

With regular jockey Mark Zahra sidelined due to injury, the ride went to Damian Lane, who produced a tactical masterpiece aboard the young superstar. Settling the $2.60 favourite beautifully, Lane launched a late assault in the final 150m, reeling in the gallant grey filly My Gladiola to win by three-quarters of a length in a finish that lived up to the race’s storied history.

“Dad and I had spoken over the last couple of days about small fields, they can be tactical,” co-trainer Sam Freedman told Racing.com post-race.

“You can get sucked in to riding a horse out of their comfort zone. To be fair, Mark Zahra, this has been his ride, and he got to know the horse really well last preparation. When we rode him a little close in the Danehill first-up, he was a little soft with conditioning, and then we let him balance up in the Gothic and let him work home and he was electric. He was the same in the Coolmore, and he was the same today.”

Freedman praised the colt’s immediate responsiveness, noting that the plan was always to rely on his signature acceleration.

“His turn of foot when you ask him is there as soon as you need it. The instructions to Damian were to trust him when you need it, it’s there. They always take off a little early in these races and we were in front at the end, and that’s all that matters.”

The Ciaron Maher-trained Benedetta showed plenty of grit at big odds to fill the final minor placing, rounding out the trifecta for the autumn’s first Group 1 contest.

Looking ahead, the logical target for Tentyris is a return to the Flemington straight for the $2 million Group 1 Newmarket Handicap (1200m) on March 7. However, Freedman admitted the final decision would hinge on the weight assigned by the handicapper.

“If David Hagan is watching, the handicapper, he wasn’t that impressive, he only just won,” Freedman joked.

“I would love to come to the Newmarket if he was not heavily penalised for the victory, but it’s not easy for a three-year-old to carry a big weight like that. We’ll have to have a chat about where he goes, but I can assure you it’s a very good problem to have.”

Punters aren’t waiting for the handicapper, however, with Ladbrokes slashing Tentyris’s odds for the Newmarket Handicap from $4.50 into $2.00, making him the clear favourite to complete the prestigious double.

History is on his side; Redkirk Warrior (2018) was the last to achieve the Lightning/Newmarket double, while Cylinder (2024) proved that three-year-olds can still conquer the Newmarket in recent years.

Jockey Damian Lane left the track convinced that the colt is a generational talent.

“He’s an incredible talent,” Lane said. “We just only had the one play with him with how he steps out of the barriers, it was just a risk whether the 1000 (metres) was going to be too short. It certainly wasn’t.

“Mid-race I had to ask him to pick up the bridle and when he did, he really joined in well and as had become his trademark, that last bit of his race was outstanding – incredible. I think the development in his temperament, his attitude, is really good now. As an older horse, he’s really competitive. He’s shown he can go to the top level and he’s going to be winning good races for a bit to come yet.”

2026 Black Caviar Lightning Results & Finishing Order

Table Credit: Racing Australia. 

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