He was lightly campaigned in his early career but eventually developed into a top class miler who won the Celebration Mile in 2016 and 2017 and recorded his biggest victory at the age of seven when he took the Sussex Stakes.
As a yearling in October the colt was put up for auction at Tattersalls and was bought for 260,000 guineas by David Redvers Bloodstock on behalf of Fahad Al Thani's Qatar Racing.
[6] On his first and only run as a juvenile, Lightning Spear started at odds of 11/4 in a thirteen-runner maiden race on the synthetic polytrack surface at Kempton Park Racecourse on 29 August.
Ridden by Jamie Spencer he tracked the leaders before accelerating to gain the advantage inside the final furlong and won "readily" by three quarters of a length from Alpine Retreat.
[8] Lightning Spear began his third campaign in a one mile handicap race on the polytrack at Lingfield Park on 29 April in which he was ridden by Jim Crowley and finished strongly to win by half a length from Sacred Act.
[9] After a break of two months he carried top weight of 136 pounds in a similar event at Salisbury Racecourse and extended his unbeaten record, coming home two lengths clear of his nine opponents.
[10] In July Lightning Spear was stepped up sharply in class for the Group 2 Summer Mile Stakes and Ascot Racecourse and sustained his first defeat as he finished second behind the favourite Arod, who was also owned by Qatar Racing.
On his final run of the year he was stepped up in distance for the ten furlong Champion Stakes at Ascot in October but made no impact and finished tailed off at the rear of the field.
[12] On his first appearance of 2016 Lightning Spear started a 20/1 outsider for the Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot in June and exceeded expectations as he finished a close third behind the American mare Tepin.
Thirteen days after his run in France Lightning Spear was dropped back to Group 2 class for the Celebration Mile at Goodwood and started at odds of 4/1 in a five-runner field.
[15] Lightning Spear made his first appearance as a six-year-old in the Lockinge Stakes at Newbury Racecourse on 29 May in which he proved no match for Ribchester but finished clear of the other six runners in second place.
Without Parole started favourite ahead of Expert Eye, Beat The Bank (Summer Mile) and Gustav Klimt (Superlative Stakes), with Lightning Spear fifth in the betting on 9/1.
In October he ran for the third time in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes and was partnered by Mickael Barzalona as Murphy rode Qatar Racings' more fancied runner Roaring Lion.