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Denim Wynen had hoped to extend her memorable August winning run to her home track Gold Cup meeting last Friday.

However, the Wyong trainer’s plan to run last start Newcastle winner Alabama Blitz in a Provincial Benchmark 64 Handicap (1600m) was scuppered when the club decided not to run the race when it deemed there were insufficient acceptors.

Now she has called on “Plan B” to start the mare at Hawkesbury on Thursday in the Dentavision Benchmark 64 Handicap (2000m).

Alabama Blitz bolts in at Newcastle for jockey Rory Hutchings. Image by Bradley Photographers

Wynen prepares a small team, and her five winners – which included her first three metropolitan successes – last month equalled her best season in 2023-24.

She isn’t fazed about wet ground for her four-year-old mare, whose two starts for her were both on Heavy 10 tracks at Newcastle.

Alabama Blitz ran second to Zip On By in a F&M Benchmark 64 Handicap (1400m) on August 9 before winning a Class 1 Handicap (1600m) 14 days later.

Rory Hutchings, about to embark on a Brisbane career, rode her in the latter and has the mount again.

In fact it was on his recommendation that Wynen decided to race Alabama Blitz in visors tomorrow.

“Alabama Blitz had raced in blinkers in Victoria when her new owners Steve and Amanda Morris bought her online from Yulong (along with Wynen’s dual city winner Sunshine Law), and gave her to me to train,” she explained.

“I took them off when she won at Newcastle, but Rory afterwards said I needed to put something back on her.

“Even though she won, she had her ears pricked forward over the closing stages and wasn’t concentrating. Putting the visors on will give her vision of horses around her.”

Wynen understandably was disappointed to miss out on the chance to keep her run going when the Wyong race fell through, but took the opportunity to gallop her on Cup morning last Friday.

“I would liked to have given her another 1600m race before stepping her up to 2000m,” Wynen said. “However, I feel she is looking for that distance, and she is fit and well.

“A wet track won’t be a worry, and I have told her owners that we are going to Hawkesbury with her. Provided she handles the extra distance, I’m sure she will be very competitive.”

Wynen is no stranger to winning races at Hawkesbury either. Four of her 26 career victories have been there. Three of them came last season, the latest being on April 5 with Monkhana (one of her August city winners) in a 1600m Benchmark 64 Handicap.

In an open race, Alabama Blitz is one of four $6 second favourites with TAB behind top pick Jacob’s Time ($5 fav). Trained at Kembla Grange by Anthony Mountney, Jacob’s Time will be ridden by 3kg claimer Ryan Bradley.

He also partners stablemate King Charles ($23), on whom he won a Benchmark 66 Handicap (1100m) at Nowra on September 2, in the Fowler Civil Contracting Midway Benchmark 64 Handicap (1100m).

Hawkesbury course manager Digby Nuthall said 9mm of rain had fallen overnight: “We have received more this morning, but we needed 10-15mm anyway as the track was firm yesterday,” Nuthall said.

“At this stage, we would be a Soft 6 but I will have another look at the track later this afternoon.”

The rail is in the TRUE position for the eight-race program which begins at 1pm.

View the final fields with full form & race replays for Hawkesbury here