Prepared by Warwick Farm trainer Joseph Pride, De Lightning Ridge exploded over the 1000m sprint feature finishing in a scintillating time of 55.92 seconds smashing Zephyr Bay’s previous 56.2s record set in 1975.

De Lightning Ridge ($10) held off runner-up Dorf Command ($5.50) by a half-neck with the Chris Waller-trained Stryker ($4.80) a further 1 ¾ lengths away in third, while equal favourites at $4 Swift Alliance and Typhoon Zed failed to fire finishing fourth and sixth respectively.

A daughter of Tale Of The Cat out of Nanny Maroon, De Lightning Ridge has now won six of her 16 career starts for $224, 320 in earnings.

Previously trained in Canberra by Keith Dryden, Pride took over her training when she was sent to Sydney three starts back.

In her first start under Pride’s preparation she claimed victory over 1100m but then ran a shocking eighth in a ten-horse field at Rosehill on February 27.

Her tremendous victory on Saturday was a great turnaround for the mare destined to go on to great things this autumn.

Pride will next run De Lightning Ridge in the Group 1 The Galaxy (1100m) at Randwick on April 17.

The headline race of the meeting at Randwick on Saturday was the $350, 000 Group 1 Randwick Guineas where Shoot Out claimed victory, proving himself as one of the top three-year-olds to watch this autumn.

2010 Ascend Sales Challenge Stakes Results:

The headline event at the meeting will be the $350, 000 Group 1 Randwick Guineas (race six), but earlier in the day the 2010 Challenge Stakes will also be a hotly contested affair.

Currently two top gallopers are battling for favouritism in the weight-for-age feature, Stryker and Swift Alliance. Both horses are trained by two of Australia’s premier trainers, Stryker by Chris Waller and Swift Alliance by Gai Waterhouse, and are equal favourites at $3.20 with IASbet.

Fastnet Rock colt Stryker is seeking his second career victory in ten starts and is coming off some promising and consistent barrier trial wins. Stryker has drawn wide in seven on Saturday and will be ridden by Jim Cassidy as he kicks off his autumn campaign.

Stryker looked set to strike the big time last spring when he ran a gallant third to Denman in the Golden Rose, but a minor muscle injury saw the youngster spelled. Up against a field of older horses in the Challenge Stakes, Stryker has had to miss the lucrative three-year-old races this autumn but his run on Saturday will determine where he heads next.

Swift Alliance has the advantage of barrier one in the Challenge Stakes, the four-year-old son of Don Eduardo looking to improve on his lacklustre tenth place in the Group 1 Oakleigh Plate back on February 20.

Six-year-old Typhoon Zed has been installed as the third elect at $4.20. The dual Group 1 winner is prepared by Tim Martin and has drawn the far outside barrier eight.

Also worth keeping an eye on is Dorf Command jumping from gate six. Currently at $10 for a win, the Clarry Conners-trained mare is coming off an impressive last start victory at Warwick Farm and could cause an upset on Saturday.

The 2010 Challenge Stakes is scheduled as race four at 2:50pm at the meeting’s cracker eight-event programme.

Aside from the Group 1 Randwick Guineas and the Group 2 Challenge Stakes, other highlights on the card at Randwick for Saturday are the three Group 3 races – Sweet Embrace Stakes, Skyline Stakes and the Randwick City Stakes.

2010 Challenge Stakes Final Field & Barrier Draw:

Clarry Conners’ classy mare Court has the 2010 Challenge Stakes in her sites

Clarry Conners’ classy mare Court has the 2010 Challenge Stakes in her sites, after a decision by Conners not to run the four-year-old daughter of Anabaa in the Group 1 Newmarket Handicap at Melbourne on March 6.

Instead he has opted to keep the winner of the Carrington Stakes (1100m) in Sydney for the Challenge Stakes on her way to the Group 1 The Galaxy (1100m) on April 17.

There are five group race features held at the meeting, including the Group 1 Randwick Guineas (1600m), which is the headline event of the day, as well as three Group 3 races – Sweet Embrace Stakes (1200m), Skyline Stakes (1200m) and the Randwick City Stakes (2000m).