Key weekend for Pride as he rolls out red carpet for star runners
Everest hero Think About It and stable favourite Private Eye both take to Randwick for respective Group assignments
The stars will be out for Joe Pride tomorrow when the Warwick Farm-based trainer sends both Think About It (So You Think) and Private Eye (Al Maher) to Randwick in search of further feature-race glory.
Think About It, the yard’s hero winner of The Everest (1200m) last year, will tackle the Canterbury Stakes (Gr 1, 1300m) first-up, having last been seen on the track when finishing third, beaten one and a quarter lengths, behind Newmarket Handicap (Gr 1, 1200m) hopeful Bella Nipotina (Pride Of Dubai) in the Giga Kick Stakes (1300m).
A son of So You Think (High Chaparral), the five-year-old was a dual winner at the highest level last winter before going on to capture the most lucrative prize in Australian racing, the $20 million Everest where he defeated fellow elite-level scorer I Wish I Win (Savabeel) by half-a-length.
Despite acknowledging that this weekend is a sighter for targets arriving later in the campaign, Pride is expecting a bold effort from Think About It in this weekend’s 1300-metre Group 1, with the gelding currently sitting as the $1.85 favourite.
“It’s just his first-up run but it’s still an important one to start off the preparation,” Pride told ANZ Bloodstock News.
“It’s a small field here and that looks ideal for him. He’s trialled well and I’m really happy with the way he’s come back.
“When a horse is as short as he is going into any race you’d be saying the objective is to win, but as we know it’s never as easy as that.
“It’s a case of lining the horse up and hoping that he’ll be competitive, it’s not his grand final but we’d be expecting a good showing.”
The best foal to come out of the winning Flying Spur (Danehill) mare Tiare, Think About It has won 11 of his 13 starts to date, with the other two runs yielding third-placed finishes.
Pride revealed Think About It will be stepped up in distance this campaign, with the Doncaster Handicap (Gr 1, 1600m) at Randwick on April 6 and Queen Elizabeth Stakes (Gr 1, 2000m) at the same track on April 13 both targets.
“We’re stretching him out in trip this preparation, we’ll be aiming to get him into the Doncaster and then maybe the Queen Elizabeth,” Pride said.
“If he does that successfully, then he’ll more than likely take a 1600-2000 metres path in the spring also.”
Pride will have another star on show this weekend, with long-time stable favourite Private Eye taking up his entry in the Challenge Stakes (Gr 2, 1000m) on tomorrow’s Randwick card.
Unlike his stablemate Think About It, Private Eye has already been sighted on the track recently, running a gallant second, beaten just a head, behind star Kiwi mare Imperatriz (I Am Invincible) in Flemington’s Black Caviar Lightning Stakes (Gr 1, 1000m) on February 17.
Having been behind Think About It when third in last year’s The Everest, the six-year-old gelding was then in front of his younger stablemate when second in the Giga Kick Stakes to end his spring campaign and will be dropping back to Group 2 company for the first time since landing The Shorts (Gr 2, 1100m) first-up back in September.
“He’s in great form. He’s a very straightforward horse to deal with in every aspect of what we do,” Pride said.
“This looks like a nice assignment for him given he usually races exclusively in Group 1 company, so for him to drop back to Group 2 company at weight-for-age, he looks very well placed in here.
“He has been with us since a baby and he’s proved a very reliable commodity. When he’s in form, he holds it really well.”
Currently sitting as the $2.20 favourite for this weekend’s event ahead of Group 3 winner Remarque (Snitzel) ($4) and Godolphin’s Group 2-winning now four-year-old Aft Cabin (Astern) ($5), Private Eye is another Pride runner to have expectations following him tomorrow.
“I guess in terms of expectations they couldn’t really get any higher when looking at the market, but as I said before they can give these races away,” the trainer said.
“We just want to come away from the day with some solid runs, but it’s always nice to be winning on the way to your final goal.”
Unlike Think About It, that final goal for Private Eye will almost certainly be a third crack at The Everest in October, having run second in the rich race in 2022 before his third placing in last year’s renewal.
“He’s a classic Everest horse and has run very well in the last couple without any real luck, so hopefully he’ll be around for it again later this year,” Pride said.
Away from his duo of stars, Pride will also give a stable debut to 2022 Doomben 10,000 (Gr 1, 1200m) hero Mazu (Maurice), who lines up alongside Private Eye in the Challenge Stakes.
In 23 starts for the Peter and Paul Snowden team, the five-year-old son of Maurice (Screen Hero) managed seven victories and a further six placings, including wins in the Brian Crowley Stakes (Listed, 1200m), Fireball Stakes (Listed, 1100m), Darby Munro (Listed, 1200m), and Arrowfield Sprint (Gr 2, 1200m) to accompany his elite-level success.
“Mazu will also run and he’s a pretty good sprinter in his own right,” Pride said. “He’s had a few battles with Private Eye in the past and he’s beaten him at least once.
“He will likely be best on soft ground, which he won’t get this weekend, but I feel like he’s come back really well, without being able to have a reference point on that given he’s a new addition to the stable.”
Pride revealed the $1 million The Galaxy (Gr 1, 1100m) at Rosehill on March 23 would be Mazu’s next target following this weekend’s first-up run, with a potential trip to Brisbane later in the campaign also on the agenda.
“He will probably go to The Galaxy after this weekend before the TJ Smith Stakes, with potentially some targets in Brisbane after that.”
To cap off the big-race runners this weekend, Pride will have promising Tavistock (Montjeu) colt Ceolwulf take his place in the Randwick Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m), where he will face ten rivals as a $23 chance on his first try beyond 1400 metres.
“He’s a lovely colt that hasn’t been tested out to anywhere near his optimum distance yet given he’s never been beyond 1400 metres,” the trainer said.
“Given his pedigree he will relish stepping up to the 1600 metres for the first time and if everything goes right we’ll be aiming for the [Australian] Derby.”