Trainer Joe Pride’s secret weapon to topple I Wish I Win in Doomben 10,000

Joe Pride believes the tight Doomben track will right be in Private Eye’s sweet spot and is forecasting a potential tactical advantage as he looks to take down Doomben 10,000 favourite I Wish I Win.

Doomben 10,000 contender Private Eye is likely to have a key tactical advantage over favourite I Wish I Wish. Picture: Racing Photos via Getty Images.

Group 1 star Private Eye has never raced at Doomben before but Joe Pride feels the tight track, combined with a potential tactical advantage, could be his secret weapon to topple Doomben 10,000 favourite I Wish I Win.

Private Eye has raced four times at Eagle Farm, including finishing runner-up to Alligator Blood in the 2022 Stradbroke Handicap, but the Doomben track is unfamiliar to him.

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But as Private Eye prepares for a tilt at Saturday’s Group 1 Doomben 10,000, Pride feels it is a great venue to tangle with boom Peter Moody and Katherine Coleman-trained sprinter I Wish I Win.

He says Private Eye has developed more tactical weapons and it’s now his preferred spot to be ridden near the speed.

I Wish I Win will be spotting him a start around Doomben on Saturday.

Barrier one also may not be ideal for I Wish I Win, with Private Eye drawing barrier six in the nine-horse field.

“Doomben is a great track for us to take on I Wish I Win,” Pride told Racenet.

“The good thing about Private Eye and the way he has evolved as a horse is that he can actually race handy nowadays.

“And he’s better ridden handy. Maybe I Wish I Win won’t get miles back, but he could be dictated to a bit.

“Private Eye will hopefully be up there making his own luck and I Wish I Win should be spotting him a head start.”

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Joe Pride and Private Eye. Picture: Nikki Short.

Private Eye went without a win during the autumn, but finished second to star sprinter Imperatriz in the Group 1 Lightning Stakes at Flemington in February.

He was most recently seen finishing a good third behind Magic Time in the Group 1 All Aged Stakes at Randwick when the heavy 10 track that day wasn’t in his sweet spot.

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Pride pointed out Private Eye finished third in last year’s The Everest in a race won by stablemate Think About It, with I Wish I Win splitting them in second.

He says if you draw a line through The Everest, Private Eye will be extremely competitive against I Wish I Win in the Doomben 10,000.

“You watch The Everest and you can make a pretty good case that Private Eye should have won or run second,” Pride said.

“He had no luck at all, he sat posted wide the whole race.”

Hear from trainer Clinton McDonald at Doomben trackwork this morning. He has the highly promising Angel Capital running in Saturday’s Spirit Of Boom Classic. Jamie Kah rides 👇@TrentonAkers@bendorries76@BrisRacingClub@[e-mail]/1GsgvkvnxH

— Racenet (@RacenetTweets) May 13, 2024

Pride-trained stablemate Mazu will also race in the Doomben 10,000 and the trainer will be hoping for a heavy track – which seems unlikely – for him to produce his best.

Pride has put Stradbroke Handicap plans for Think About It firmly in focus.

The reigning Stradbroke champion will be slugged with a big weight this year, but Pride isn’t concerned about the handicapper.

“These horses are not ornaments and I don’t mind racing them to find out,” Pride said.

“It will take a good horse to beat him in the Stradbroke, whatever weight he gets.”

Trainer Rob Heathcote talks to @bendorries76 about Stradbroke Handicap hopeful Abounding and Rough Habit Plate contender Press Link at Doomben trackwork this morning 👇@TrentonAkers@BrisRacingClub@Racing_QLDpic.twitter.com/dKUNfv4EpZ

— Racenet (@RacenetTweets) May 13, 2024

Private Eye will be ridden by Blake Shinn on Saturday and the champion Victorian jockey will also link with Think About It when he starts his Queensland campaign in the Group 1 Kingsford Smith Cup on June 1.

Originally published as Trainer Joe Pride’s secret weapon to topple I Wish I Win in Doomben 10,000