[4] Lightening Pearl's dam Jioconda showed good form as a racemare in Ireland, winning two of her eight races including the Listed Silken Glider Stakes in 2005.
In September 2010, the filly was consigned to the Goffs sale and was bought for €125,000 by Redvers[7] on behalf of Fahad bin Abdulla Al Thani's Pearl Bloodstock Ltd.[8] She was sent into training with Ger Lyons at Dunsany, County Meath.
Ridden by Keagan Latham, she started a 16/1 outsider she stayed on in the closing stages to finish second of the eight runners behind the odds-on favourite Experience.
On 4 July the filly started second favourite for a similar event at Roscommon Racecourse in which she was ridden for the first time by Johnny Murtagh.
Lightening Pearl tracked the outsider Lady Pastrane before taking the lead two furlongs from the finish and drew away in the closing stages to win easily by five lengths from Experience.
[11] On her final appearance of the year Lightening Pearl was sent to England to contest the Group One Cheveley Park Stakes over si furlongs at Newmarket Racecourse on 24 September.
Lightening Pearl tracked the leader Sajwah before taking the lead a quarter of a mile from the finish and went clear of her rivals entering the final furlongs.
Starting a 20/1 outsider she chased the leaders and reached second place three furlongs out but soon began to struggle and was eased down by Murtagh to finish thirteenth of the sixteen runners behind Homecoming Queen.