Leon and Troy Corstens, in partnership with Will Larkin, are adopting a wait-and-see approach with their injury-prone sprinter Baraqiel, who is nominated for the Group 3 Bletchingly Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield this Saturday.

Baraqiel is one of 12 initial entries, which include Kin, Kallos and Inhibitions from the James Cummings yard, along with New York Lustre and Shadhavar. The nomination period has been extended until Tuesday morning.

Troy Corstens admitted the 1200-metre trip is slightly longer than ideal for Baraqiel’s first-up run, particularly as he makes his return following a lengthy spell due to injury. “I would have loved it to be 1100 metres,” he said. “At 1200, he’ll be fresh and will gain fitness from the run.”

Baraqiel’s path to racing has been interrupted by two separate suspensory injuries — one behind, which delayed his debut until age five, and another in front after his third-place finish in The Meteorite at Cranbourne. His rehabilitation included time at Benalla and use of a hyperbaric chamber.

The gelding, who has won six of 10 career starts, returned with an eye-catching jump-out victory at Flemington last Friday, defeating Arkansaw Kid in a quick time. “I was pretty happy with his jump-out,” Corstens said. “He ran the second fastest time of the morning and came through it well.”

“This is just his second prep. His fitness is good considering his time off, and while it’s not perfect, he’ll only improve with racing.”

The stable is targeting the Group 1 Manikato Stakes (1200m) at Moonee Valley as the spring grand final for Baraqiel. How many lead-up runs he has will depend on whether he resumes this weekend.

“We’re working back from the Manikato,” Corstens said. “Whether we kick off on Saturday will determine if we give him two or three lead-up runs. We’ll see how he is and go from there.”

Ben Allen is booked to ride Baraqiel if he starts in the Bletchingly Stakes. To explore odds on this race and others, visit top Australian betting sites.