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| Staff Writer |
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Since starting Proven Thoroughbreds in 2022, Jamie Walter has seen some smart horses in the black and lime green colours. They include Private Eye, a half-length runner-up in The Everest in 2022. That gelding has now gained a slot in 2023, and Walter believes they have a second strong chance in Think About It, who has a berth, both trained by Joe Pride.
"He's not really bred to be a sprinter. There are some speedy horses in his pedigree, but to look at the horse physically and to look at his pedigree would suggest that he's a middle-distance horse."
His dam is a half-sister to Group 1 placed sprinter Keen Array, but Think About It is by So You Think, who was a multiple Group one winner over 2000m and finished third in a Melbourne Cup before heading to Europe. It is easy to understand precisely where Walter is coming from in his opinion on the pedigree.
There has been plenty of experience that Walter has gained around the world before returning to set up Proven Thoroughbreds and turn them into a successful syndicate. Time spent with Neil Drysdale in the USA and Mark Tompkins in Newmarket, England, has given Walter a wide range of knowledge to draw on when it comes to a horse and how to spot one at a lesser price.
In fact, Think About It only cost $70,000 at the 2020 Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale. That now seems a bargain price given the form he has in the book, but as Walter says on the Proven Thoroughbred website, luck and hard work are more likely to produce a good horse than any magical formula or self-perceived gift.
The most impressive part of Think About It's make-up is that "he seems to be able to maintain top speed for longer than most horses." It is a strength that has already seen him twice successful at Group one level. He won the Kingsford Smith Cup at Eagle Farm in May, following up in the Stradbroke Handicap at the same track the next month.
Walter is not afraid of making comparisons with some of the greats when it comes to his latest star sprinter. He jokes that some may say he should wash his mouth with soap, but it is hard not to compare when you are associated with a horse as good as Think About It could be.
"I can remember Hugh Bowman (talking about Winx), and he said, 'She just has this ability to find that extra gear when she needs to.' And I think that's what Think About It has."
Walter is not saying that he thinks his horse is anywhere close to as good as Winx but rather that he is capable of holding his top speed for much longer than most horses who can only perhaps run 150m at full tilt, while Bowman always said Winx could do it for 400m.
That trait is one that only the very best have at their disposal, marking Think About It down as an extraordinary horse. His jockey, Sam Clipperton, first said he could maintain that speed for a long time. It is undoubtedly a big weapon to travel into a race in such a manner.
Think About It is a high-energy horse. Walter explained that his excitement starts to build when the saddle goes on him. He is a horse who wants to get on with his job, a quality which cannot be underestimated in any horse - the will to win.
"We're still learning about him…at this point in the horse's life, the world's his oyster. We don't know what his optimum distance is going to be and where or when he's going to stop winning." That is exciting for those who are part of the syndicate - after only ten races, he still has plenty of potential.
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Private Eye should not be the forgotten horse when it comes to The Everest. He was below his best in the autumn, but he had a slight issue with a knee. He began his spring preparation with a Randwick Group 2 success over 1100m, running the long-time leader down as the line approached.
It was a big step back in the right direction from him, and Walter told us that he "pulled up in great order, so he'll now go into the Everest without another run, just a barrier trial." Walter believes that Private Eye has been underestimated in the betting for the race, "He's proven at this level. Think About It is on an upward plane, though - it is hard to assess him until he meets these elite sprinters."
Private Eye is another horse Walter did not have pegged as a sprinter. The winner of the Epsom at Randwick in 2021 over 1600m, he stepped up to 2000m at Flemington to run a solid 5th in the MacKinnon.
How does Walter feel about having two chances at the race? "Privileged. But obviously extremely satisfying after all the years of work building our business. In saying that, horses like these are very rare, so we can't expect to be this fortunate again in the future."
Last year, The Everest was an afterthought, and the invite was only taken up because of the event's prestige. It is a race that has quickly established itself over a short history and a contest that Walter has changed his mind on.
"I've had to completely do a 360-degree turn on the Everest. I thought it was a gimmick, but now I think it's one of the best races in the world." It takes a brave man to admit when they are wrong and the esteem in which Walter holds the race will go up a further notch if Proven Thoroughbreds can have the 2023 winner in their ranks courtesy of either Private Eye or Think About It.
By Scott McGlynn