The Everest-winning trainer Joe Pride to tackle Lightning Stakes with Private Eye
The Everest-winning trainer Joe Pride will get his long-awaited crack at Imperatriz in Saturday’s Group 1 Lightning Stakes at Flemington.
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With better luck, Sydney trainer Joe Pride would be shooting for his third Lightning Stakes on Saturday.
Pride won the Flemington sprint with Terravista in 2017, a year after Chautauqua bloused the sprinter on the line in an amazing finish.
Pride hasn’t forgotten champion jockey Damien Oliver dropped his whip late in the race, which allowed the brilliant grey Chautauqua to complete one of his trademark victory charges.
The Warwick Farm horseman will return to Flemington to take on outstanding Kiwi mare Imperatriz in Saturday’s $1m event.
• Runner-by-runner analysis: Group 1 Black Caviar Lightning
Pride famously queried the quality of Imperatriz’s opposition during her unbeaten spring, throwing down the challenge for the Mark Walker-trained sprinter to take on his Everest winner Think About It in Sydney in the autumn.
Time will tell whether the dream sprint match-up will happen but Pride is happy to send The Everest third placegetter Private Eye south to take on Imperatriz at Flemington.
Private Eye is one of the rare breed of racehorse that drops back to sprint trips after racing at the top level over longer journeys as a younger horse.
The six-year-old won the Group 1 Epsom Handicap over 1600m in 2021 before developing into a top sprinter for the second half of his career.
Previous Lightning Stakes winners Mahogany and Shaftesbury Avenue were also gifted gallopers over longer trips that proved themselves among the best sprinters of their eras.
“That’s good horses for you,” Pride said.
“They can do a multitude of things but it’s a matter of working out what they do best.
“Later in life, it has suited this horse to sprint.
“I’ve seen some good horses do it over the years, but it’s certainly not common.”
• Valuable colt ‘red-hot chance’ of stopping Imperatriz in Lightning
Private Eye has a strong record down the Flemington straight course, beating dual Group 1 winner Roch ‘N’ Horse in the Group 2 Gilgai Stakes in 2022 and running fourth in last year’s Newmarket Handicap.
Pride said Private Eye would have no issue racing over 1000m for the first time since his debut outing in 2020, noting the son of Al Maher won The Shorts over 1100m first-up last September.
“I think the result of this race would be the same if it was 1000(m) or 1100(m),” Pride said.
“I’ve kept the speed in his legs and I haven’t done much with him in his trials.
“The horse sprints well fresh and I’m thinking it’s out of him and the mare (Imperatriz) and maybe the punters are thinking that as well.
“He’ll be explosive there Saturday.”
Private Eye is the $6 second favourite behind the $1.75 top pick Imperatriz in TAB’s Lightning Stakes market.
Originally published as The Everest-winning trainer Joe Pride to tackle Lightning Stakes with Private Eye
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