 Bletchingly was bred by Stanley Wootton on the Baramul Stud in the Widden Valley, and was a three-quarter brother to another high-class sprinter, Beaches (by Todman).Stanley Wootton had imported Bletchingly's grandsire, Star Kingdom (IRE), from the United Kingdom in the 1950s, and the Irish stallion established Australia's foremost 20th century sireline.Thought by his owner to be too small and unsound for a long racing career, Bletchingly was unraced as a two-year-old and won his only start as a three-year-old at the provincial track of Bendigo.