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Streets Of Avalon’s younger brother heads to the course he liked best

Phil Warren and the close group of friends he races the progeny of Kamuniak with have become accustomed to being involved on Bletchingly Stakes Day, which will be run at Caulfield this Saturday.

They enjoyed a fairytale ride with Streets Of Avalon, who has been a staple of recent Bletchingly Stakes, finishing runner-up in 2020 and 2021 before an eighth placing last year.

The Futurity Stakes and Orr Stakes winner retired at the end of last spring, but his owners will again head to Bletchingly Stakes as owners with Streets Of Avalon's younger brother Eugenius to run in the $175,000 VOBIS Gold Ingot (1400m).

"That was his brother's favourite track, 1400 metres at Caulfield, so fingers crossed he does exactly the same," Warren said.

Eugenius is the fourth product of Magnus and Kamuniak that Warren, who owns Kamuniak, has raced with a similar group of owners and Mornington trainer Shane Nichols with Streets Of Avalon the standout performer.

Along with a Futurity Stakes and Orr Stakes, he won a Victoria Handicap and Moonga Stakes at Group 3 level over the Caulfield 1400m, having also demonstrated his prowess at 1200m in the Group 2 Australia Stakes at The Valley.

They were among 10 wins in a 71-start career that netted almost $2.5 million in stakes.

Kamuniak's other two products of Magnus that have raced were both fillies; Orlando Grove, who won at Sandown at her second start, and Stormy Mistress, who was retired due to a knee issue after three winless starts.

"We had a full sister, Orlando Grove, who won a city race but has gone to the breeding barn now and Shane seemed to think he (Eugenius) was very similar to her," Warren said.

"But Streets' big asset was he never gave up – he'd look another horse in the eye and want to have a crack – and you sort of get the feeling this horse, from his last run, has inherited that trait, we hope."

That most recent outing was in the 1200m Next Generation Sprint Series Final at Flemington on July 1 when Eugenius was narrowly beaten by Stellar Olympus, which was his first start since a debut sixth of eight at Moe in February.

"I guess he's yet to prove himself as a city class horse, he's shown he's got a bit of potential, but this Saturday might show us where we're at," Warren said.

Eugenius, who has the services of Hall of Fame jockey Damien Oliver, will start from the outside barrier in the field of nine for the VOBIS Gold Ingot, which is restricted to paid-up member of the VOBIS Gold concept.

Warren and his co-owners are excited to have another good one by Magnus out of Kamuniak, but hopes are also high for another younger sister who will shortly turn two and is in the process of being broken in.

Kamuniak last year had a colt by Written Tycoon who will be sold at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale in January, failed to get in-foal after visiting Blue Point last year and will this year be served by Bivouac.