Blacktie Lightning storms to a huge win at Melton.
They say lightning doesn’t strike twice. But what do “they” know? Tonight at Tabcorp Park Melton, it did.
Firstly, Chris Lang Jr trained Blacktie Lightning struck, scoring an electric 17.6-metre win in the Exclusive Homes Pace Final over 1720 metres in a mile rate of 1:53.2.
The impressive five-year-old by Village Jasper out of Belief thundered across from barrier seven early for Chris Alford and challenged leader Itsa New Deal for the front.
Mark Pitt however wasn’t going to go quietly and held up on the $5.20 shot, keeping the $1.40 race favourite punching the breeze.
At the bell the leader had posted a 27.6secs opening quarter and, with Blacktie Lightning pouring on the pressure, the second stanza was also slick – 28.4secs for a 56-second opening half.
Down the back straight Ricimer, the $7.50 third elect, loomed from the rear with high hopes no doubt given the frontrunners had already sizzled. The third split was 29.2secs, Itsa New Deal had run his race and Ricimer was on the march.
But when Haydon Gray said let’s go aboard Ricimer, the pacer simply could offer no resistance to Blacktie Lightning. It was lights out at the 300.
Up the stretch Blacktie Lightning opened up a daylight gap on his rivals – the final section 28.5secs – and announced himself as a genuine horse to follow.
>> VIDEO REPLAY: BLACKTIE LIGHTNING STRIKES AT MELTON
Ricimer held second with Something Western up late for third ahead of Itsa New Deal.
A bit over half-an-hour later it was lights out literally, the second storm delivering a KO blow to the final six races on Melton Plate Night.
The Plate, the Cinderella Stakes and the Scotch Notch Memorial are all expected to be re-scheduled.
