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By Ray Hickson

Trainer Nathan Doyle isn’t letting the fact Norwegian Bliss boasts an unbeaten record after six starts get in the way of planning the best path for the mare this season.

Trainer Nathan Doyle (Pic: Bradley Photos).

The five-year-old makes her long awaited return in the Cleanaway Handicap (1200m) at Randwick on Tuesday after a bleed at trackwork cut her autumn campaign short.

While she managed to win both starts in that prep, both at Hawkesbury in April, Doyle said her build up to this return has been ominously smoother.

“She’s trialled up well, I think she’s trialled up better than leading into last preparation which is probably a good sign,’’ he said.

“When she was in last preparation she was seven weeks from her first trial to a start.

“This time in we’ve dodged wet tracks with trials and kept her on that better ground.

“If we just place her right and not start her on heavy tracks we shouldn’t have an issue going forward and hopefully we see the best of her.”

Doyle has managed to build Norwegian Bliss’s unbeaten record by placing her expertly as she rose through the grades and he said the mare is on her way to stakes company.

When that comes remains to be seen and he’s not overly concerned if she’s beaten on the way to that goal.

Andrew Adkins has partnered the mare in two of her six wins and both barrier trials this time in but Doyle elected to use Dylan Gibbons and his 2kg claim to offset 61.5kg.

She was $2.15 favourite with TAB on Monday to keep her picket fence going.

“They’re all probably going to get beaten one day,’’ he said.

“We still know we’ve got a nice horse and a stakes class horse but when you’re unbeaten they’re all out there trying to beat you.

“It looks a nice kick off race. We wanted a 1200m run first-up for her. We had to claim and get in with a respectable weight first-up."

The question was posed that if Norwegian Bliss can make it seven from seven on Tuesday, and as it stands Doyle sees no reason why she can’t, whether she’d tackle the $1m The Hunter (1300m) on her home track on November 12.

“It’s always a little carrot dangling there when you’re in your own backyard,’’ he said.

“There’ll be a lot of seasoned horses. The natural progression would be to go to a fillies and mares stakes race, that’d be the ideal step, but we’ll get over this first.

“We’re probably a couple of weeks behind the eight ball in terms of the races you could target with her but we wanted to give her a good break.

Norwegian Bliss wins a Hawkesbury trial on October 17

“She’ll only have a light preparation and come back for the autumn but I think she is well and truly up to stakes grade down the track.”

Meanwhile, Doyle may have a runner in a feature race on Hunter Day if promising three-year-old So You Battle makes it two from two at Kembla Grange on Tuesday.

The filly is nominated for a stakes race at Flemington on Oaks Day but if she tackles the Choose To Win Handicap (1400m) it’ll set her up to run in the Group 3 Spring Stakes (1600m).

All the fields, form and replays for Tuesday's Big Dance meeting at Randwick