Group 1 winner Streets Of Avalon will have the blinkers back on when he kicks off his 2020 Spring Carnival campaign in Saturday’s Group 3 $128,000 Bletchingly Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield.

Streets Of Avalon, above, will have the blinkers back on in the Bletchingly Stakes at Caulfield. Photo by Ultimate Racing Photos.

Streets Of Avalon, above, will have the blinkers back on in the Bletchingly Stakes at Caulfield. Photo by Ultimate Racing Photos.

Streets Of Avalon wore the blinkers when he led all of the way to win the Group 1 $500,000 PFD Food Services Futurity Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield during the 2020 Melbourne Autumn Carnival.

Trainer Shane Nichols decided to remove the head gear at his next start in the for the $5m All-Star Mile (1600m) but after racing on the pace, Streets Of Avalon faded to finish in twelfth position.

“The blinkers will be back on,” Nichols told racing.com.

“We only took them off out to the mile, but he’s hardly had a run without them.”

Streets Of Avalon is one of fourteen nominations for the Bletchingly Stakes and Nicholas said that the rising six year old has returned from a spell in great order.

“He’s in super order, he only had four runs last time in because we weren’t sure what was happening with Brisbane and the Stradbroke and so we just stopped and went to the paddock,” Nichols said.

“He’s had longer off and had nowhere near as hard a campaign as he’d normally have so consequently, he’s probably carrying a bit of condition.

“He trialled on a wet surface the other day at Mornington and he was good but he doesn’t let go on the wet and we didn’t let him rip so he’ll have a strong gallop tomorrow (Tuesday) and hopefully he’ll be right for Saturday.”

The Caulfield track was rated a Soft 6 on Monday and Nichols is hoping the weather stays reasonably fine and the track doesn’t get any worse for the weekend.

“It looks like the weather forecast is that it should only be a (Soft) 5 or better,” he said.

Veteran sprinter Jungle Edge is also among the nominations for the Bletchingly Stakes and trainer Mick Bell won’t mind if a few more showers arrive in the lead up to Saturday.

Jungle Edge is a noted mudlark with all of his nineteen wins on rain affected tracks and the rising ten year old is coming off a last start win on a heavy track in the Group 3 $128,000 Sir John Monash Stakes (1100m) at Caulfield on July 11.

The Melbourne Racing Club has extended the nominations for the Bletchingly Stakes until 10am on Tuesday, July 21, 2020.

Nominations for the 2020 Bletchingly Stakes (1200m)

# Last 10 Horse Sex Age Trainer Hcp Rating
1 2235x6111x COMING AROUND G 4 Brent Stanley 81
2 3x1390x25x EXPRESS PASS G 3 Nick Ryan 70
3 2211x0x162 GREAT AGAIN G 7 Lindsey Smith 100
4 8x214x1108 HIGHTAIL G 3 Peter & Paul Snowden 94
5 02x00x3153 I AM SOMEONE G 5 Paul Preusker 97
6 5831486620 I’M TELLING YA G 6 Amy & Ash Yargi 75
7 7×13301051 JUNGLE EDGE G 9 Mick Bell 107
8 63×5640472 MISS IANO M 6 Mark C Webb 86
9 0x9680497x RED ALTO G 7 Brent Stanley 84
10 31x00x3091 SHE SHAO FLY F 3 Kevin Corstens 76
11 x1515x0801 SIGNORE FOX H 4 Peter & Paul Snowden 98
12 0189x3210x STREETS OF AVALON G 5 Shane Nichols 110
13 4017×45412 VIRIDINE G 5 James Cummings 105
14 17x539265x WIDGEE TURF G 6 Patrick Payne 101

About The Author

Mark Mazzaglia

Mark is a passionate journalist with a life-time involvement in the racing industry. He spent many years as an analyst and form expert at the Courier Mail and also has hands-on experience working with some of Queensland’s top trainers.