Grahame Begg's mares set for Caulfield challenge

The dedicated team at Grahame Begg's stable has ensured the stable's success while the trainer enjoyed a late-season break, preparing for an active spring carnival.

Wins have continued to feature, with Queen Peta proving impressive at Sandown on July 8 and the newcomer Riverina Lulu victorious at Flemington last Saturday.

As Begg is set to return from his holiday on Friday, the stable is eager to observe how their two mares perform in the Group 3 Bletchingly Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield this coming Saturday.

Weather conditions may prove influential, as Miraval Rose and Samangu both favour dry tracks, but Begg's racing manager, Rohan Hughes, confirmed the pair are in good condition for their Caulfield assignments.

Miraval Rose made her return with a commendable fourth place behind Winnasedge in the Sir John Monash Stakes (1100m) at Caulfield on July 11. Samangu, on the other hand, is coming off a seventh-place finish in the Listed Santa Ana Sprint Series Final (1200m) at Flemington on July 4, trailing Ndola.

Hughes commented that Miraval Rose has improved since her first-up run and expressed anticipation for another strong showing.

"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 noted that the Group 3 Aurie's Star Handicap (1200m) at Flemington the following Saturday was considered for Samangu, but the stable was concerned about her prospects of gaining a start.

"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 explained. "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 is set to ride Miraval Rose, who will depart from barrier two, with Samangu to start from gate four under the guidance of Michael Dee.

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