After a demanding initial racing season, Streisand is set to make her return at Flemington.
The Blue Diamond Stakes victor will race for the first time as a three-year-old in Saturday’s Group 3 Cap D’Antibes Stakes over 1100 metres.
This outing marks the beginning of trainer Clinton McDonald’s planned three-start spring campaign for the filly, with a greater emphasis on autumn racing.
“She had seven starts as a two-year-old, so that’s why we want to give her a light spring, only three runs, and that will set her up for the better sprint races in the autumn,” McDonald said.
“We don’t want to be hard on her, she’s rewarded us all the way through and being by Magnus, she should get better with age.”
Her Saturday return will be followed by the Schillaci Stakes (1100m) at Caulfield on October 10, and then either the Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m) or the Champions Sprint (1200m) at Flemington during Melbourne Cup week.
McDonald stated that Streisand has had a beautiful preparation for her return.
“She had 10 weeks in the paddock and has had a nice, easy preparation,” McDonald commented.
“She’s not fully wound up for Saturday. It’s not her Grand Final. She will be ridden quiet and will be strong late, and if she can win there, she will be in for a very good spring.”
“She runs on Saturday, then goes to the Schillaci at weight-for-age four weeks later and then into either the Coolmore Stud Stakes or Champions Sprint.”
“If Yulong taps me on the shoulder and say that they have too many colts going there (Coolmore), we’ll go to the Champions Sprint.”
“That’s the beauty of Streisand, she’s adaptable to anything and she’s consistently good at everything she does.”
McDonald also has a Yulong-owned colt, Tales Of Time, whom he hopes will contest the Coolmore Stud Stakes following his victory at Sandown on Wednesday.
The colt’s next outing is expected to be the Danehill Stakes (1100m) at Flemington on October 3.
“It will nearly be the race of the carnival,” McDonald remarked. “We think he’s up to that level. He’s been down the straight before and raced very well in the Maribyrnong, and that’s the path we will take with him.”
Get the latest racing odds from Australian betting sites for Streisand’s comeback.
