Ash Morgan has given Private Harry his tick of approval as he prepares to reunite with the Group One winner in the Victory Stakes at Eagle Farm next month.
Morgan put the four-year-old through his paces in an exhibition gallop at Canterbury on Wednesday, Private Harry covering the 1000m in 1:06.53 and clocking 36.29 seconds for his final 600m sectional.
On the comeback trail from bone bruising that cut short his spring, Private Harry will have his first start for new trainer Chris Waller in the Victory Stakes (1200m) at Eagle Farm on Saturday week and Morgan says the entire is moving well.
“I was happy with him. It has been a long time since I’ve sat on him, but he did it all well,” Morgan said.
“He was in a nice, relaxed manner. He pulled up through his gears well and I thought he moved well and did everything right. He’s in good order and his action was good.
“He had a little bit of a blow pulling up, but he’d recovered by the time we got back to the yard. He is spot-on for first-up.”
Morgan partnered Private Harry in his first five starts, including his Galaxy win, but was replaced by Tim Clark after the horse suffered his first defeat in The Shorts (1100m) in September.
The jockey received a phone call earlier this week offering him the Victory Stakes ride and said he didn’t hesitate to accept.
“It was a nice call to get,” he said.
“Special horse to me. It’s good to be back on him and it was good to get a sit on him again. Hopefully he’s back to his best.”
Waller’s assistant trainer, Charlie Duckworth, said they were keen to secure the services of Morgan given his rapport with the horse, and were buoyed by his feedback following Wednesday’s hitout.
“He said he was really clean in the wind, so he’s fit and forward, which is what he’s going to need to be,” Duckworth said.
“It looks a pretty competitive race next Saturday with the likes of Lady Of Camelot and Jokers Grin and a few others there. It’s not going to be an easy task, but it’s a nice stepping stone towards the Doomben 10,000.”
Former Perth galloper Jokers Grin is also trained by Waller and was scratched from Randwick last weekend in preference for Queensland, with Sam Clipperton booked to ride.
