Nigel Blackiston is preparing to throw Let’s Make Adeal in the deep end in Saturday’s Group One Makybe Diva Stakes as he tries to plot a path to the major spring Cups.
A grand daughter of 1991 Caulfield and Melbourne Cups winner Let’s Elope, Let’s Make Adeal is easily the lowest-rated horse among the 19 nominations for the Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m), but Blackiston has a big opinion of the four-year-old and will give the mare her chance should she make the field.
“Obviously the most important thing is to try to get her rating up and that could be a race where she might run a place and that would certainly help me,” Blackiston said.
A Makybe Diva Stakes victory would earn a ballot exemption for the Caulfield Cup.
“We’ll try to get in (to the Cups) any way we possibly can,” he said.
A field of 16 can line up in the Makybe Diva and acceptances are taken on Wednesday.
Let’s Make Adeal scored a first-up win at Sandown last Wednesday in a 1600m race with Michael Walker aboard.
Walker was suspended at Caulfield on Saturday so Damian Lane is set to take the ride.
Blackiston is also considering a gear change to try to maximise the mare’s chances in a race which includes 10 Group One winners in the nominations.
Melbourne Cup favourite Puissance De Lune shoots for his first Group One success while Caulfield Cup equal-favourite Jet Away will be out to continue his unbeaten start to Australian racing.
“I’ll see how she works tomorrow but I think I’ll be putting blinkers on, that will definitely help a bit more,” Blackiston said.
“It was a very impressive win first-up. I know it obviously wasn’t this grade but she’s certainly progressive, she gets a weight allowance under the weight-for-age scale, she’ll like it at Flemington and she’s a big, strong girl.”
Blackiston worked for legendary trainer Bart Cummings when Let’s Elope was a star of Australian racing and says Let’s Make Adeal is the mare out of the family who most resembles the 1991/92 Australian racehorse of the year.
“She was a big, strong mare and this one is very similar,” Blackiston said.
Blackiston, coincidentally, has You’re So Good entered for the Let’s Elope Stakes (1400m) on Saturday.
He said he would see how the mare worked on Tuesday morning, but if she pleased him she would head to the Group Two race.
