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2024 spring carnival trainer previews: Joe Pride, Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young and Les Bridge detail plans for stable stars

Trainers Joe Pride, Trent Busuttin and Les Bridge discuss the spring carnival plans for their star horses.

Clinton Payne
4 min read
July 16, 2024 - 10:54AM
The Everest winner Think About It will be set for the $20m race again this spring. Picture: Jeremy Ng/Getty Images
The Everest winner Think About It will be set for the $20m race again this spring. Picture: Jeremy Ng/Getty Images

Trainers Joe Pride, Trent Busuttin and Les Bridge provide an update on their stable stars and potential targets for the spring carnival.

JOE PRIDE

THINK ABOUT IT

Joe Pride: “He’s on the float back to the stable on Monday after spelling up north. He looks great. He’ll only have one run heading into The Everest.”

Possible target races: Premiere Stakes (October 5)

Grand Final: The Everest (October 19) and Russell Balding Stakes (November 2).

PRIVATE EYE

Joe Pride: “Very happy with him. He’ll be up and running a bit earlier than the others. He’ll trial late July, early August.”

Possible target races: Moir Stakes or Concorde Stakes (September 7)

Grand Final: The Everest (October 19) and Russell Balding Stakes (November 2).

MAZU

Joe Pride: “He’s on a float back from Queensland next Monday. Wet tracks are his strength so wherever it’s wet, that’s where we’ll be heading. I’ll take on the better horses in Sydney if we get wet tracks. He’s a three or four length better horse on a wet track.”

Possible target races: Everything is on the table.

CEOLWULF

Joe Pride: “I haven’t got anything absolutely locked in for him because it’s an interesting transition for these rising four-year-olds. They are very hard to line up. But he’s coming up really well and will trial later this month. I’ve got nothing firmly locked in for him, he will be nominated for the big races but I doubt he will go to Melbourne but in saying that, I’m not going to rule it out either. If they have a wet spring, it might tempt me to send him south. Everything I do with him this spring will be done with a view to the autumn next year.”

Possible target races: The Metropolitan (October 5), Craven Plate (October 26), Rosehill

Gold Cup (November 2).

COAL CRUSHER

Joe Pride: “He’ll follow a similar campaign to last year. The Hunter will again be his main aim, he’s very good on that track. He’ll work through some of the Sydney sprints. He’s still a month away from a trial.”

Possible target races: Sydney Stakes (October 19), Russell Balding Stakes (November 2).

Grand Final: The Hunter (November 16).

THE BLACK CLOUD

Joe Pride: “She had a couple of weeks off and came back into the stable late last week.

She’s had an extensive winter so she’ll have a short spring. I’m preparing her for a big Sydney autumn. I’d love to have a crack at The Galaxy next year with her if she’s going really good.”

Possible target races: Toy Show Stakes (August 24) and Sheraco Stakes (September 14).

TRENT BUSUTTIN AND NATALIE YOUNG

MOSTLY CLOUDY

Trent Busuttin: “He had three weeks off in the Queensland sun. He’s back in the stables now. We’d obviously like to run him in a Melbourne Cup. We’re not looking at it through rose coloured glasses, but the ownership group would love to have a crack at getting him there. He will stay so he’d be a genuine top 10 chance of we can get him to the race. He needs to win a race or two to get his rating up and try to sneak him into the race.”

Possible target races: Everything that offers a weight penalty or ballot exemption to the Melbourne Cup is on the table.

Grand Final: Melbourne Cup (November 5)

MURAMASA

Trent Busuttin: “He’s a pie in the sky Melbourne Cup horse. He had a great spring last year but we were not happy with him in the autumn so we tipped him out and gave him a long break. He’s back in work and will kick off at the end of August. He is ticking over well and he’s on track. He’s a firm track horse and everything will be on the table. If we can get him back into the form of last spring, exciting times ahead.”

Possible target races: Heatherlie Stakes (August 31) – After the first-up run everything is on the table.

Grand Final: Caulfield Cup (October 19), Melbourne Cup (November 5)

IMMEDIACY

Trent Busuttin: “It’s tough to place a horse like him in the spring of his four-year-old

season. He had no luck in the Rosehill Guineas or the Australian Derby when never on the track. He’ll be nominated for both the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups but realistically, his

performances will decide what he runs in. Unless you are out and out top class, it’s very hard to make the transition now from three to four with all the European bred stayers in Australia and coming out for those races. We won’t be wasting a campaign with him. He’ll kick off late August, early September.”

Possible target races: Everything is on the table.

Grand Final: Nothing locked in.

EPIMELES

Trent Busuttin: “This is the three-year-old we’re excited about. He had a month off, came back and he has packed on the weight, exploded sideways. Now he’s a big, strong, impressive bull. I think he’s a proper horse, a horse with a real turn of foot.”

Possible target races: McNeil Stakes (August 31) and follow the traditional Caulfield Guineas path.

Grand Final: Caulfield Guineas (October 12).

LES BRIDGE

CELESTIAL LEGEND

Les Bridge: “He looks unbelievable. He has grown and thickened up. I was a bit worried when he went into the Doncaster because he was a bit light, but he has put on about 40kg and has even grown a bit. The horse will have a barrier trial in August then after he trials we will work out what we do with him.”

Possible target races: The Everest (October 19)

Grand Final: Golden Eagle (November 2)

Originally published as 2024 spring carnival trainer previews: Joe Pride, Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young and Les Bridge detail plans for stable stars

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Original URL: https://www.couriermail.com.au/sport/horse-racing/2024-spring-carnival-trainer-previews-joe-pride-trent-busuttin-and-natalie-young-and-les-bridge-detail-plans-for-stable-stars/news-story/c17415ca14ad336162cf3dc45ed8327b