The dedicated staff at Grahame Begg’s stable have maintained strong performances while the trainer took a late-season break, setting the stage for a busy spring carnival.

Successes have continued, with Queen Peta showing significant improvement at Sandown on July 8 and debutant Riverina Lulu winning at Flemington last Saturday.

As Begg is due back from his holiday on Friday, the stable is eager to see how their two mares fare in the Group 3 Bletchingly Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield on Saturday.

Weather conditions may play a role, as Miraval Rose and Samangu both prefer dry ground, but Begg’s racing manager, Rohan Hughes, confirmed the pair are heading to Caulfield in top shape.

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

Hughes mentioned that Miraval Rose has improved since her initial run and is expecting another positive result.

“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 stated that the Group 3 Aurie’s Star Handicap (1200m) at Flemington the following Saturday was considered for Samangu, but the team was concerned the mare might not get 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 commented. “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 will partner Miraval Rose from barrier two, while Samangu will start from gate four under Michael Dee.

Check out the racing betting markets for the Bletchingly Stakes at Australian betting sites.