HORSE RACING

SHANE Nichols is confident his Group One winner Streets Of Avalon can get back into form on Saturday when he contests the Group One Memsie Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield.

After making a top return in the Group Three Bletchingly Stakes when finishing runners-up to the Godolphin-owned Viridine, Streets of Avalon failed to fire second-up when striking a soft track at Caulfield a fortnight ago.

Ridden by Ben Melham, the six-year-old gelding sat in behind the pace before sliding out three-wide at the 1000m mark when the pace slackened up front. The son of Magnus was unable to pick up in the run home and ended up finishing in seventh place in the Group Two P.B. Lawrence Stakes (1400m).

Mornington-based trainer Shane Nichols believes the run will bring Streets of Avalon on nicely, with the likely firmer surface to work in his favour.

“The track was probably a fraction too soft for him and the race lacked tempo which didn’t suit him,” Nichols said of Streets of Avalon’s previous start. “He needed a solid run race and when they backed off and ran a 12-second furlong that was going to make it really hard for him from where he was.”

Nichols said Streets of Avalon, who won the Group One Futurity Stakes (1400m) at the same track and trip in February, has pulled up excellent since his last outing.

“I couldn’t be happier with how he is in between runs and he’ll be somewhere near his peak third-up,” he said.

Streets of Avalon had a gallop last Saturday morning and will have his final workout on Tuesday heading into his next assignment.

First published in the Mornington News – 25 August 2020