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| Dane Squance |
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The Joe Pride-trained Private Eye continued his rise up the ranks of Australia's best sprinters when putting a talented field to the sword in the $3,000,000 Nature Strip Stakes (1200m) at Rosehill on Saturday.
Fresh off his second in The Everest, the 5yo son of Al Maher exploded down the centre of the track under Brenton Avdulla, defeating Mazu (Maurice) by one and a quarter lengths with a further half-length back to Kemenatri (Lonhro), a meritorious third after being caught wide the trip.
With his $1,725,000 winner’s cheque, the Proven Thoroughbreds colour-bearer takes his bank to $6,154,060 from a record of ten wins, three seconds and a third from 23 starts.
Joe Pride said Private Eye’s breakthrough season is not done yet.
“I’m taking him to Flemington and running over a mile next week (Kennedy Champions Mile), Pride revealed
“I’m keen to get him down there and if he can win at the mile next week, well wow, he’s going to stamp himself as one of the most versatile horses in Australia and maybe one of the best.
“We’ve got a bit to think about the next seven days haven’t we? But I’m keen to get him down there, it was always the aim and this stuff along the way has been a pretty big bonus.”
“He wasn’t an expensive horse and credit to Kerrie Tibbie there from Goodwood Farm. She said to me ‘Buy this horse Joe, you want him’ and so full credit to her. He’s a lovely horse. He’s taken a lot of time to mature, but the way he’s gone over the past six months he’s just kept stepping it up and who knows where he can get to.
“He definitely wants to be on top of the ground. He goes on soft but when he’s on top of the ground I think he’s even better.”
Brenton Avdulla praised the geldings versatility
He won a Queensland Guineas and it still felt like we were nowhere near the bottom of him,” Avdulla said.
“Joe used to ask me ‘what do you reckon his best distance is?’. I said if you send him to the Derby I reckon he’d win the Derby. If you send him to the Stradbroke, he can win the Stradbroke.
“We were stiff not to win the Stradbroke. It was pilot error but then Joe put me back on him and he’s been awesome. He was awesome in The Everest and although today was a $3 million race, it was probably just a run to get him to the mile next week, you can just see how explosive he is.
“It’s just crazy how good he is on top of the ground. He just takes 50m to build through his gears but once you get serious with him he just lets go.”
A $62,500 Magic Millions Adelaide purchase for Proven Thoroughbreds/Pride Thoroughbreds/ from the Ambergate Farm draft, Private Eye was bred by Goodwood Farm.
The son of Al Maher is the best of two winners from as many to race out of Confidential Queen, a half-sister by Shamardal (USA) to Group III placed King's Troop from the family of Group I winner and champion sire Snitzel and Hinchinbrook.
Confidential Queen has a yearling colt by Shalaa (IRE) and was covered by him again last season.