Group One glory for Desert Lightning in Goodwood as Pride Of Dubai doubles up

Pride Of Dubai had an hour to remember on Saturday with back-to-back feature winners at opposite ends of the country.

On the Gold Coast, Pride Of Jenni was at her trademark best when winning the G2 Hollindale Stakes in a runaway once again, while at Morphettville, the gelding Desert Lightning was a tenacious winner of the G1 The Goodwood in a photo.

The two horses brought the total number of Pride Of Dubai stakes winners to 24 (three this season) and were, arguably, a reminder of the stallion’s good value.

Pride Of Dubai will enter his eleventh Australian season at stud this spring at a fee of $22,000, which represents a slight drop on his current $27,500 and which will return him to his 2024 price tag.

For Pride Of Jenni, the Hollindale Stakes over 1800 metres was a return to the winner’s circle after an 18-month hiatus.

Hustled to a customary lead by jockey Declan Bates, the eight-year-old mare had the grandstand behind her as she opened a huge margin on a field that included Cups heroes Half Yours and Knight’s Choice.

In the straight, the pack got close but not close enough, Pride Of Jenni holding on for a narrow win of the staying feature, Chris Waller’s Birdman failing just short, while Grahame Begg’s She’s A Hustler led the rest home three lengths back.

Half-an-hour later, in South Australia, the New Zealand-bred Desert Lightning prevailed in a blanket finish of The Goodwood under Luke Nolen.

Trained by the Peter Moody-Katherine Coleman partnership, this six-year-old gelding, whose career began in New Zealand with now retired trainers Peter and Dawn Williams, surprised many with his sprinting incarnation after previous starts in the New Zealand Derby and Underwood Stakes.

DESERT LIGHTNING IN AN EPIC GOODWOOD ⚡

The famous Nolen/Moody combo win it again, this time with Kat Coleman! An unbelievable finish 🤯@luke_nolen @moodyracingpgm @kscoleman pic.twitter.com/H47aeneLQh

— 7HorseRacing 🐎 (@7horseracing) May 9, 2026

In 2023 at Te Rapa he was a winner of the G1 Captain Cook Stakes over a mile.

“We thought he was going to be a horse that would stretch out over a bit of ground as well,” said Coleman, who was at Morphettville. “He just saves his best for when he’s fresh and happy and  bouncing, and that’s how he is today.

“He’s an older gelding and normally they’re the quiet ones that know their job and don’t cause too much trouble. Well, he’s out there carrying on like a two-year-old colt most mornings, upsets other horses on the track and bounces around the stable.”

Desert Lightning brought his earnings to a respectable $2.2 million on Saturday, with eight wins and nine placings in his 32 dual-Tasman starts.

For Moody and Coleman, he has won the Sandown Stakes and So You Think Stakes, both over 1500 metres at Group 3 level. Coleman was unequivocal in her affection for the gelding.

“He’s such a tough horse. He’s such a character,” she said. “He’s a genuine stable favourite.”

Desert Lightning was an equally good result for his breeders Sam and Cat Williams of Little Avondale Stud, who sold him at Karaka in 2021 to former trainers Peter and Dawn Williams as well as current owners Chris and Sarah Green for NZ$150,000.

The horse boasts a solid female family featuring Celebria, the dam of Gathering and Florentina through third-dam Twyla (Danehill), a three-quarter sister to Redoute’s Choice.