Private Eye hasn’t had an ideal Stradbroke Handicap preparation but sending the top sprinter-miler into the Group One race first-up holds no fears for trainer Joe Pride.
The gelding was to have contested the Kingsford-Smith Cup (1300m) last Saturday but when it was washed out and transferred to this weekend, he decided against running him.
Not only was he lukewarm about leaving Private Eye in Brisbane, he didn’t think a seven-day back-up into the Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) this early in the horse’s campaign was a smart option.
“I am making the best of what is a bad situation for us,” Pride said.
“I didn’t want to leave him up there all week.
“He will have had four trials in total, so I think he will run super.”
In lieu of the Kingsford-Smith Cup, Private Eye was given a solid 900m barrier trial at Rosehill on Friday, leading throughout to score, and will return to Queensland next week.
It will leave just Lekvarte to represent the stable in the Magic Millions National Classic (1600m) at Eagle Farm on Saturday, while Pride could have up to eight runners at Randwick.
Along with In Flight in the day’s feature, the Listed Bob Charley AO Stakes (1100m), Pride has Estadio Mestalla, Headley Grange and emergency Testator Silens in the Singapore Pools Handicap (1300m).
Accredited has been scratched from the same race due to the heavy track but Pride still expects his yard to be featuring in the finish.
“Headley Grange will obviously be hard to beat, and I think Estadio Mestalla will go really well fresh,” he said.
“Testator Silens was a good run the other day so I’ve got a strong hand in it and I’m happy with all of them.”
Pride said Cosmonova was also likely to dodge the heavy conditions in the Toyota Forklift Handicap (1000m) in favour of an assignment at Canterbury on Monday, leaving Storm The Ramparts as his sole representative in the final race.
The gelding scored over the course and distance last start and will shooting to record back-to-back wins for the first time in his career.
“He’s never done that before, two in a row, but he is a good wet tracker so he will be thereabouts,” Pride said.
“It should be a good day. I’ve got plenty of ‘mudders’.”
