Nigel Blackiston’s team has made a great start to the new year and the trainer hopes the momentum continues as he builds towards the Melbourne and Sydney carnivals.
Blackiston is preparing Let’s Make Adeal for Group One features in Melbourne and Sydney while stablemates You’re So Good and lightly-raced Desert Wizard will also get their chances in stakes races.
Outback Joe, a son of 1991 Caulfield-Melbourne Cups winner Let’s Elope, started the year on the right note for the Flemington-based Blackiston team with his Listed Bagot Handicap win on his home track on New Year’s Day.
Stablemate Pamukkale scored a city win at the same track on Saturday.
Let’s Make Adeal just missed a spot in last year’s Melbourne Cup field and Blackiston said the mare’s autumn goal was the Group One BMW (2400m) in April, a race the trainer won with Littorio in 2010.
Let’s Make Adeal, a grand-daughter of Let’s Elope, was competitive in Group staying races during the spring but just failed to qualify for the Melbourne Cup when second in the Lexus Stakes.
“It might have been a blessing,” Blackiston said.
“If she had got in and we had gone that way, she might have been too immature at the time.
“But she’ll be more mature, stronger, a bit more seasoned and I think she’s a really exciting mare.”
Blackiston expects this year’s spring will be when the mare is at her best but he also believes she is up to a campaign aimed at The BMW.
The trainer is looking at the Peter Young Stakes (1800m), Australian Cup (2000m), Ranvet Stakes (2000m) in the lead-up to the BMW.
“She has just started to do a bit of evens (in trackwork),” Blackiston said.
“She had a month off and she’s done super.”
Last year’s Australian Guineas runner-up You’re So Good was unplaced in six spring starts and Blackiston said the autumn aim would just be to get her winning again.
“She had a good autumn, a disappointing spring. Hopefully we can have a good autumn with her,” Blackiston said.
The trainer is considering taking Outback Joe to Sydney for the Listed Australia Day Cup (2400m) on January 25 before he makes a decision whether to aim him at the Adelaide or Sydney Cups over 3200m.
