Pride fires Everest Missile with Eduardo
Lightly raced gelding makes it two from two for Sydney trainer with Group 2 success
Joe Pride has cast humbly bred sprinter Eduardo (Host), a lightly raced former Melbourne gelding, as a potential candidate for this year’s The Everest (1200m) after the seven-year-old made it two wins from as many starts for his new trainer in Sydney.
Eduardo, a Caulfield Sprint (Gr 2, 1000m) winner at just his fifth start nearly two years ago, joined Pride’s Warwick Farm stable in late May and has since taken out the July Sprint (1100m) and yesterday’s Missile Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m) at Rosehill.
Ridden by Nash Rawiller, who also rode Eduardo in the July Sprint, he was sent straight to the lead and found under pressure to score by one-and-a-half lengths over MRC Thousand Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) winner Flit (Medaglia d’Oro).
The Chris Waller-trained European import Imaging (Oasis Dream), who won the Ajax Stakes (Gr 2, 1500m) in the autumn, copped a check when Eduardo rolled back to the fence just as jockey Tommy Berry was asking him for an effort. He finished a long neck back in third in the six-horse field which was decimated by scratchings on a Heavy 9 surface.
“Nash said to me before the race, ‘I’d rather they come at me at the 100 (metres) than have them flying at the line’ and that is the way it panned out,” Pride said post-race.
“He recognised that he’s got a little bit of ticker. He’s able to make his own luck up on speed and then he’s got a good kick.
“He’s certainly enthusiastic about the whole thing. He looks like he’s running along for fun. He’s beaten some good horses and you’d have to say he’s improved a couple of lengths on what he did the other day.”
The Missile Stakes effort prompted Pride to float the richest turf race as an option for the gelding, who was acquired earlier this year by his clients, including some who raced the likes of Group 1 winners Terravista (Captain Rio) and Tiger Tees (Dubawi) with the Sydney trainer.
Some members of the original ownership group retained shares in the talented sprinter, who was initially trained at Cranbourne by Sarah Zschoke.
“I want two slots, is that greedy?” Pride said.
“He is an exciting horse. Although he is a seven-year-old, I think in real terms he is much younger than that because he wasn’t broken in until he was three and there is plenty of racing left in him.”
Eduardo firmed from $101 into a typically conservative $26 for The Everest, the same price for three-year-old Anders (Not A Single Doubt) who impressively won the Rosebud (Listed, 1100m) earlier on the card.
Pride’s other contender, five-year-old Fasika (So You Think) who trialled at Warwick Farm last week ahead of a seasonal return, is quoted at $34 for the $15 million race to be run at Randwick on October 17.
It was also the third time Pride has won the Missile Stakes, having taken it out twice with Rain Affair (Commands) in 2011 and 2013 for his owner, the late Don Storey.
Rawiller, who rode a winning double but was also twice suspended at Rosehill, said: “He’s got a motor. He showed exceptional speed out of the gates today and really got into his comfort zone quickly. He travelled really well, but then he got very lost in the straight. He stepped around a few times but when I got stuck into him inside the 150 metres he knuckled down to the line well.”
The heavyweight hoop was confident that Eduardo would be able to reproduce his first-up win.
“When Joe’s horses win first-up for you like he did, you know there’s always a little bit left in the locker and he’s let the horse do the talking,” he said.
“He probably came here underdone the other day and he’s taken that natural improvement from the run and I still think there’s still a little bit left in the locker.”
Rawiller’s suspensions will be served cumulatively, starting immediately and expiring on September 1, ruling Rawiller out of the Winx Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m) meeting on August 22.
James Cummings, who prepared Home Of The Brave (Starspangledbanner) to win the Aurie’s Star Handicap (Gr 3, 1200m) at Flemington yesterday, was happy with the first-up performance of Flit.
“Brilliant return from Flit but a clever ride from the winner,” Cummings said.
The Jamie Richards-trained Melody Belle (Commands), who has been prepared from Randwick since her Australian autumn campaign without returning to New Zealand, went back to last and failed to threaten but jockey Kerrin McEvoy was satisfied with her return saying the race didn’t pan out for them.
“I thought she still ran fine,” McEvoy said.
“She pulled up having a nice blow. She just found that race a little bit sharp for her given the circumstances.”
Meanwhile, Eduardo (7 g Host – Blushing by Fantastic Light), a homebred, has won five of his 14 starts and has earned $476,900 in prize-money.
He is one of three winners for the unraced mare Blushing (Fantastic Light) with the only other stakes performers in the first three dams being the seven-time winner and Group 3 successful Peggy Ann (Bletchingly). Blushing has not been covered since foaling Eduardo in October 2013.
Eduardo is one of six stakes winners by Willow Grove Stud’s late sire Host (Hussonet), who initially started his Australian stud career at Swettenham Stud in Victoria. The gelding joins Philippi, Hosting, Mighty Like, Miss It And A Bit and Conflight as the stallion’s other stakes winners.
Anders blitzes rivals in Rosebud
Ciaron Maher and David Eustace could have another star sprinter on their hands after Anders (Not A Single Doubt) blitzed his rivals in the Rosebud (Listed, 1100m) at Rosehill yesterday.
The three-year-old son of Not A Single Doubt (Redoute’s Choice), who is owned by Aquis Farm, led from point to post, eventually scoring by an official margin of four and three-quarter lengths under Jason Collett.
The well-bred Ole Kirk (Written Tycoon) was second with Gerald Ryan’s The Face (Rubick) holding on to finish a length and three-quarters away in third.
Annabel Neasham, who was attending her second-last Saturday meeting as Maher and Eustace’s assistant trainer before she begins her own training career, said Anders was finally delivering on the promise he had always shown at home.
“We always knew he had an awful lot of ability but he was just doing a few things wrong,” Neasham said.
“In those early stages he was head-to-head with Gerald’s horse (The Face) and I think the old Anders would have fired up a bit.”
Anders is set to head to the San Domenico Stakes (Gr 3, 1100m) in three weeks time and with Aquis Farm holding a slot for The Everest (1200m), Neasham said he could be one to fill it.
“He is a proper colt. They are going to have an awful lot of fun with him,” she said.
“Aquis have a slot in The Everest, so you never know. He is very fast.
“He is probably too brilliant for a Golden Rose but you never know. There is always a Coolmore as well, but I think they will aim high with him.”
Collet echoed Neasham’s opinion of the colt.
“I actually trialled him as an early two-year-old and he won by about eight or nine lengths and I came out with the statement that he’s a serious racehorse,” the jockey said.
“Things didn’t quite turn out but he looks like he might be living up to that.
“He’s a beautiful animal. The shoulder, the neck on him, he’s a proper horse.”
Purchased by Aquis and Ciaron Maher Racing for $670,000 at the Magic Millions Coast Coast Yearling Sale, Anders (3 c Not A Single Doubt – Madame Andree by War Emblem) has now had seven starts for three wins and two placings, amassing $184,115 in prize-money.
He is one of three winners from three to race out of unraced mare Madame Andree (War Emblem), making him a half-brother to Gosford Guineas (Listed, 1200m) runner-up Battleground (Snitzel).
His second dam, Glamour Stock (Sunday Silence), is a half-sister to champion Canadian colt Exciting Story (Diablo) as well as stakes winners Strong Memory (End Sweep), Sweeping Story (End Sweep), and Diablo’s Story (Diablo).
Anders becomes the 73rd individual stakes winner for Arrowfield Stud’s star stallion Not A Single Doubt, who was pensioned earlier this year.