Blackiston looks at Australian Cup and beyond with Suavito By Chris Roots Australian Cup, Flemington Suavito has had an unusual preparation leading into the Australian Cup.
Nigel Blackiston knows a thing or two about saddling an Australian Cup winner - think Saintly and Dane Ripper, even Let's Elope - as the Flemington trainer was part of the Bart Cummings team during his glorious run in the 1990s. 
So, the former Englishman has first-hand knowledge of what it takes to win an Australian Cup and has targeted Suavito at the race, even though a couple of 1400-metre group 1 runs seem an unusual way to get there.
In a way Suavito is a bit reminiscent of Dane Ripper, which won the Stradbroke Handicap before going on to become a Cox Plate and Australian Cup winner for Cummings.Suavito's first group 1 success came 12 months ago in the Futurity Stakes before she stepped up to a mile in the Blamey Stakes. Bone chips in a knee would rob her of a spring campaign, but Blackiston has been patient - another one of Cummings' great pieces of advice when it comes to training - and she returned with victory in the Orr Stakes before running third in the Futurity a couple of weeks ago.
"She is a bit like Dane Ripper in that way [winning a 1400m group1], but she is more mentally switched on and I think she will relax and run 2000m," Blackiston said. "She is only small but she has that deep girth that Bart always liked."
While it is not the usual 2000m preparation - the latest run was in the Futurity, rather than the 1800m Peter Young Stakes, which was won by Australian Cup favourite Bow Creek on the same day - Blackiston is confident.
"She was looking for the mile in the Futurity," Blackiston said. "The plan, everything going right, was always the Australian Cup and she is ready to run 2000m now."
Suavito won the Matriarch Stakes over the Flemington 2000m in 2014 and a lack of speed in the Australian Cup sets it up for her to use her turn of foot.
The scratching of Mourinho left the weight-for-age race without obvious speed and it could develop into a tactical battle.
"She has gate speed to take up a position and explosive speed when needed, which she has used to win races from impossible positions," Blackiston said. "I think she will be in the right spot in the race to be there at the finish, but it is an Australian Cup."
Blackiston has opted to miss The Championships with Suavito, after she ran seventh in last year's Doncaster, in preference to a trip to Hong Kong for the Classic Mile at Sha Tin on   May 1 and possibly a tilt at Royal Ascot. "She went there [to the Doncaster] last year and it rained," he said. "She didn't handle the ground at all and still ran seventh. I was mindful of the wet weather in Sydney again and Hong Kong was a good option."