Trainer Shane Nichols confident Group 1 winner Streets Of Avalon will handle Caulfield conditions

The Googling efforts of one of Streets Of Avalon’s five owners could hold the key to winning the Group 3 Bletchingly Stakes (1200m) on Saturday at Caulfield.

The dual Group 1 winner has placed three times in 11 starts on wet ground but trainer Shane Nichols hopes class and credentials will combat unpredictable Melbourne weather.

“If you search through enough websites you’ll find one that tells you the weather is going to be OK,” Nichols laughed.

“One of my owners has found one that says Caulfield will get 0.8mm between now and race time and 45km/h winds.

“If the deck is OK I’ve got him better than what he was when he ran in this race last year.”

Streets Of Avalon, who was runner-up behind Viridine in the season-ending Group 3 feature last year, has worked strongly at Sandown and Mornington since winning a 950m trial on July 7.

The $1.8m-earning Group 1 Futurity and C.F Orr Stakes winner boasts a tremendous Caulfield record (23: 5-4-3) and won first-up last preparation.

Two of the past three Bletchingly winners — Vega Magic (2018) and Scales Of Justice (2019) — won the 1200m event first-up from a break.

“We’re drawn to get the beautiful trail, one out one back, behind these race fit horses,” Nichols said.

“We’re not going to try and smoke them (early), just roll along, The Astrologist will try and take up his normal position and get the advantage of being up on speed.

“We’ll rely on hitting the line and being strong, at level weights when we’re somewhere near our peak we’re a pretty good horse but we won’t be eyeballing a horse like The Astrologist.”

Streets Of Avalon is rated an $8 chance with TAB behind Red Can Man ($4.20), Viridine ($4.80), The Astrologist ($5.50) and Isaurian ($6.50).

Despite Streets Of Avalon appreciating a good break, following a successful autumn, Nichols has steadily wound up the evergreen gelding mindful about wanting to strike before any spring superstars get warm.

“We’re a run (fitness wise) ahead of the game because he’s an A-grader but not an A+,” Nichols said.

“Not a superstar but a talented and fit horse that, given the right circumstances, is capable of winning a weight-for-age Group 1.

“We try and have him a little bit fitter, a bit race hardened before the others catch up.”

Nichols has earmarked the Group 2 PB Lawrence, Group 1 Memsie Stakes and Group 2 Feehan Stakes as immediate targets before looking at options in Sydney or Melbourne later in the spring.

“He probably stays away from the Rupert Clarke, Toorak and Cantala … we’re up at the top of the weights, our on-speed pattern doesn’t tend to help,” Nichols said.

“The high pressure brings him unstuck, he’s probably not going to run a lot of Group 1s this preparation.”

Originally published asStreets ahead of the game for Bletchingly

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