Wild Rain earns more valuable black type

In form sprinter Wild Rain made a second successful sojourn to South Australia claiming victory in the $100,000 SAJC Lightning Stakes (1050m) on Saturday earning an all important stakes win in the Listed event.

Having earned 'black type' - the emboldened print signifying stakes performers on a pedigree page - in the Group Three MRC Sir John Monash Stakes at her previous start Wild Rain was sent out as favourite and she did not disappoint her supporters.

Camped at the hip of leader Burst Away she ploughed through the soft going and set up a winning break in the straight. She showed her usual determination at the finish to fend off the challenge of Cashed beating that horse by a half neck with Trupt three lengths astern in third. She had relegated Cashed to second in her previous win at Morphettville in May.

To watch the Lightning Stakes replay at TRSA click here

With black type the ultimate goal for any race filly or mare a win sees the type set on Wild Rains pedigree page move from lower case to upper case which distinguishes stakes winners from their stakes placed counterparts. Her new stakes winning status boosts her residual worth as a broodmare and is more in keeping with other members of her illustrious family that includes the out and out champion Northerly and his group winning half-brothers North Boy and Northern Song.

Wild Rain is the fifth stakes winner sired by the Encosta de Lago horse Manhattan Rain a Group One winning half-brother to champion sire Redoute's Choice.

Trainer Mark Kavanagh purchased Wild Rain at the 2013 Gold Coast Magic Millions and she is raced in partnership by Isobel & Levi Kavanagh, Brett Griffith & Tim Storey of Collins St Partners, Wade McKibben, Anna Stenswick's DTTM Syndicate, Stan & Anna Hunt and Gary and Rhonda Ma.