Private Eye has flown home from the rear of the field with a huge run to take out the $3million Nature Strip Stakes (1300m) at Rosehill Gardens for Joe Pride.
A first up win this preparation in the Group 2 Gilgai Stakes (1200m) before his last start second to Giga Kick in The Everest two weeks ago had the five-year-old son of Al Maher primed for a good showing today and stepped out at $5.50 with online bookmakers.
Once again under the guidance of Brenton Avdulla, Private Eye was settled towards the rear of the field before unleashing a blistering turn of foot down the Rosehill straight.
2022 Nature Strip Stakes Race Replay – Private Eye
“He won a Queensland Guineas (in 2021) and it still felt like we were nowhere near the bottom of him,” Avdulla mused after the win.
“Joe (Pride) used to always 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,” conceded Avdulla.
“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.
“Jamie (Kah on third placegetter Kementari ($21)) gave me a great cart into it and for a second I just thought ($2.35F) Lost And Running (7th) and Mazu ($5) (2nd) would probably quickening a bit too good for him. But once I knuckled down at the 300m there he just opened up the V8 and he just took off.
“He probably hit the front a fraction early and switched off late so looking forward to hopefully getting on him next week (Kennedy Champions Mile at Flemington Saturday 5th November) and seeing what he can do in the big four days in Melbourne.
Pride is keen to get the gelding down to Melbourne,
“I'm taking him to Flemington and running over a mile next week (Kennedy Champions Mile). We'll see, 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, the most versatile horse 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.”
Private Eye was just a $62,500 yearling purchase and has now earned in excess of $6million in prizemoney over his 23-start career.
“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.”