The team at Grahame Begg’s stable has maintained consistent performance while the trainer took a well-deserved late-season break, gearing up for a busy spring racing period.
Successes have continued to roll in, with Queen Peta delivering an impressive win at Sandown on July 8, and debutante Riverina Lulu breaking her maiden at Flemington last Saturday.
With Begg scheduled to return from his holiday on Friday, the stable will be keenly anticipating the performances of their two mares in the Group 3 Bletchingly Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield this Saturday.
Track conditions could influence the outcome, as both Miraval Rose and Samangu perform best on dry surfaces. However, Begg’s racing manager, Rohan Hughes, confirmed that the pair are heading to Caulfield in excellent condition.
Miraval Rose made a promising return when she finished fourth behind Winnasedge in the Sir John Monash Stakes (1100m) at Caulfield on July 11. Meanwhile, Samangu is coming off a seventh-place finish in the Listed Santa Ana Sprint Series Final (1200m) at Flemington on July 4, behind Ndola.
Hughes indicated that Miraval Rose has shown improvement since her initial run and anticipates another strong performance from her.
“She doesn’t like wet ground, but she had a little procedure early in the prep where we had to back off her and that meant we had her kicking off in the winter,” Hughes said. “She’s a big, heavy mare, so if we tipped her out, we would never get her back, so we kept her going and we chose these two races. Ideally, she would like three weeks rather two weeks going second-up, but she is a big, gross doing mare. She’ll cop it, it’s just a matter of whether she backs up, and is as sharp. It’s a similar lot, so if she holds her form, with a little bit of improvement, she should be right in the mix.”
Hughes also mentioned that the Group 3 Aurie’s Star Handicap (1200m) at Flemington on the following Saturday was considered for Samangu, but the team had reservations about her chances of securing a start in that race.
“We feel like she’s going very well and she’s a bit similar to the other mare in that she needs drier ground, ideally,” Hughes stated. “She got into a sit and sprint race in the Santa Ana Lane, whereas we feel if she can get into a race where they go a nice gallop, she will be better off. It’s her first try at weight-for-age, but we’ve always had a good opinion of her and right now we feel she’s going really well and we’re happy to give her a chance.”
Jordan Childs will partner Miraval Rose, who is set to start from barrier two, while Michael Dee will ride Samangu from gate four.
Those looking to back a winner in the Bletchingly Stakes can find competitive racing odds at Australian betting sites.