Spieth (NZ) Storms Home in Lightning

Karaka graduate Spieth (NZ) (Thorn Park) scored his first stakes success with a barnstorming performance in Saturday’s A$150,000 City Lightning (1100m) at Randwick.

Ridden by Jay Ford for trainer Bryce Heys, the four-year-old missed the start but made up for it with a powerful finishing burst to win by three-quarters of a length from Kaepernick (Fastnet Rock).

“He came out very awkwardly but he was able to recover,” Ford said. “He is a serious horse on the way up and he is in for a good campaign.”

Heys suggested that Spieth may now go to Flemington for either the Group 1 Darley Classic (1200m) or a Group 2 sprint a week earlier.

“Jay kept his cool today,” he said. “I thought he would got up the fence but he was patient and waited for the gap.

“I'm excited about where this horse goes next, but I'll let him get over this first. We have a plan in place if he could win today and we will decide by the middle of the week but he will go to Melbourne.”

A son of the Titus Livius mare Stella Livia, Spieth was bred by Trelawney Stud. Heys bought him out of Trelawney’s draft at the 2014 Premier Sale for $200,000.

Saturday’s win took Spieth past the A$200,000 mark in prize-money, having now won five of his eight starts including his last four in a row.