As a Group 1 winner of one of Australia’s eminent mile races, Private Eye has been a surprise packet in the sprinting ranks this spring.
But trainer Joe Pride says the horse’s campaign has been anything but an afterthought as he heads towards Saturday’s $3 million Nature Strip Stakes (1300m) at Rosehill.
What could prove to be a spanner in the works is Private Eye’s draw.
The Everest runner-up has the outside barrier in the field of 12, directly alongside stablemate and defending titleholder Eduardo.
While Pride has no qualms with a wide gate for the latter, he says it poses a conundrum for Private Eye.
“The draw means nothing to Eduardo but it’s a bit more significant for him,” Pride said.
“I don’t like dragging this horse back, it doesn’t work.
“He doesn’t like to be taken out of the contest and I’m not saying that’s not a good quality in a racehorse. ‘Let me be in the fight’, that’s what he wants, so we won’t be disappointing him out of the gates.
“He is clearly in the best form of his life so I haven’t changed too much with him, I’ve just kept him ticking over and hoping he can have a bit of luck from that awkward draw.”
Eduardo is coming off a disappointing performance in The Everest where he pulled up lame, but he has been healthy and bright since.
Pride is keeping faith that Eduardo can rebound on a track where he has four wins from five starts.
“I love this horse. He is a very special horse to us and I just want to see him doing what he’s capable of doing,” he said.
“The horse is great. He won this race last year and he has always raced well at Rosehill. I just need a bounce back from him.”
Brutality rounds out Pride’s assault on the sprint race and while he might find the competition hot on Saturday, his two campaign runs have been outstanding, suggesting he will be a horse to follow deeper into the spring.
The Gong could be a potential goal for Brutality, while Private Eye will back up in the Champions Mile (1600m) at Flemington on Saturday week provided he comes through his Rosehill run well.
