Trainer Shane Nichols knew when he arrived at Caulfield last month for the first-up run of Streets Of Avalon it was not going to be his day.
Rain softened the track ahead of Streets Of Avalon contesting the Group 3 Bletchingly Stakes (1200m), running eighth, but the run was beneficial as Nichols admitted the gelding required the outing.
Streets Of Avalon heads to the Group 2 PB Lawrence Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on Saturday for the third time having finished seventh and eighth respectively in previous visits.
Those indifferent efforts had come after Streets Of Avalon had run second in the Bletchingly Stakes.
Nichols said had he missed running Streets Of Avalon at Caulfield three weeks ago, he would have needed to trial the gelding ahead of Saturday’s outing.
“The wet track, he doesn’t go on them, but he needed the gallop,” Nichols said.
“If he didn’t run, we’d have to trial, so we elected to run. He didn’t handle the track but he had a nice hit-out and he’s been very good since.
“We need it to stay in the OK range, if it gets past a (Soft) six it’s getting into the too soft range.
“There’s a bit of quality there, but some of them are first-up, so it will be interesting to see how goes.”
Regular rider Zac Spain will be reunited with Streets Of Avalon after missing the Bletchingly ride while holidaying in the US at the end of a busy season.
The Group 1 Memsie Stakes (1400m) on August 27 is likely to be next on the agenda for Streets Of Avalon, after which Nichols will consider options.
One of those is to head to the $1.5 million Gold Rush (1400m) at Ascot in December.
“Perth Racing charter a plane and we can get there in four-and-a-half hours, something like 12 hours box-to-box, rather than three days it took getting to Rockhampton,” Nichols said.
