Skybird may be considered an outsider for Saturday’s Black Caviar Lightning, but trainer Mitch Freedman is weighing whether the 1000-metre Group 1 at Flemington is the best starting point for her autumn campaign. The decision will determine if she heads to the Oakleigh Plate (1100m) the following Saturday before targeting the Group 1 Newmarket Handicap (1200m) on March 8.

Although 1000m is short of Skybird’s ideal distance, her family has a strong history in the Lightning Stakes. Skybird is by Exosphere, who placed fourth in the 2016 Lightning, and her dam, Real Desire, is a daughter of 2010 Lightning runner-up Wanted. Skybird’s lineage includes Snippets’ Lass, the dam of Snitzel, the sire of this year’s Lightning favourite Switzerland.

Anthony and Kristen Evans of HP Thoroughbreds, who bought Real Desire for $18,000 in 2018, are proud of their breeding success. “It’s a family that keeps producing good horses,” said Anthony. Since acquiring Real Desire, they’ve seen multiple stakes winners, including Private Eye, a recent standout.

Skybird, now four, has had a successful start to her career, including winning the Group 2 Moonee Valley Fillies Classic (1600m) and placing third in the Group 1 Thousand Guineas (1600m). Her only recent win came in the Group 2 Tobin Bronze Stakes (1200m), and she’s also placed in the Bobbie Lewis Quality (1200m) and Blazer Stakes (1400m).

Freedman has added blinkers to Skybird’s gear and has high hopes as she prepares for the Lightning Stakes. “She’s always been a quality filly,” said Evans. “We’re excited to see how far she can go.”

Skybird’s preparations included a solid second-place finish in an 800m Horsham jumpout, and she will start from barrier three in the Lightning, with John Allen to ride. Evans is optimistic that Skybird’s journey has only just begun, with aspirations for her to become HP Thoroughbreds’ first Group 1 winner.