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| Staff Writer |
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While Joe Pride frets over a start for his sprinter The Hunter at Newcastle on Saturday, he is prepping Brutality, the defending champion of the Villiers Stakes, for two $1 million races a week apart. Pride hopes to run Brutality in a race at Newcastle, and if he does, he aims to run the gelding again next Saturday in The Gong, a $1 million race at Kembla Grange.
"I'm hoping he gets a start at Newcastle because he needs the run before The Gong next week and he does race very well on the quick back-up," Pride said. "But he's actually racing in very good form and the barrier (17) for The Hunter is not an issue for him in as he gets back anyway. "I'm really pleased with him and with some rain around next week, if he gets the sting out of the track that's when he is at his best."
Though Brutality hasn't finished in the money in any of his three spring races, trainer Pride is confident in the six-year-near-final old's sectional times and believes he's in winning shape. The Karaka 2023 Benchmark 88 Handicap is essentially The Hunter "spill over," with 10 starters including the Pride-trained duo missing out on starts on the $1 million sprint, and trainer James Pride expects his stablemates Coal Crusher and Titanium Power to prove hard to beat.
"I wouldn't have minded Coal Crusher and Titanium Power running in The Hunter but they were nowhere near getting a run," Pride said. "But even the Benchmark 88 is a very strong race and that is the depth of Sydney racing, it is amazing and this is the tail end of the carnival. It will stay this way through to The Ingham (formerly Villiers Stakes at Royal Randwick on December 10)."
Pride has stated that both of his sprinters, Coal Crusher (who is fourth-up from a spell and is coming off a good second to Oscar Zulu in the Goulburn Cup) and Titanium Power (who is resuming with a win at Randwick from what has proven to be a strong form race), will travel to Newcastle in fine shape. Also in winning form heading into Newcastle for the Jack Newton Legend Mile is the Pride-trained Redwood Shadow, who narrowly beat Sindacato in his most recent outing at Warwick Farm.
"I think Redwood Shadow is going really well," Pride said."He has to make the step up to Saturday grade but he's a tough horse."