Rising trainer Nathan Doyle prepares for his biggest day in town at Randwick on Saturday

Nathan Doyle was taught by three elite trainers but is forging his own identity as he sends his biggest team to Saturday Sydney metro meeting.

Nathan Doyle is sending a strong team to Randwick on Saturday. Picture: Bradley Photos

Nathan Doyle did his apprenticeship under some of the best and it helped provide the pieces to his own training puzzle.

It’s an image that continues to take shape but as Doyle enjoys the best start to a season of his relatively young career, it’s certainly one that has him on track to take his stable to the next level.

Doyle has experienced what that looks like first hand.

He first got his training licence as a 21-year-old and ran a stable at Muswellbrook before stints with the likes of Peter and Paul Snowden and Mark Newnham prepared him for the rigours of the training caper.

“I had three great tutors,” Doyle says.

“I can’t say I am the same as any of them, I just took a bit from everyone and created my own style in the way you train.”

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It’s a style that’s working.

Doyle, who moved to Newcastle to train in 2019, is on track for a career best season for his stable with 31 winners already this campaign, including a winning double at Kembla Grange on Thursday.

The amazing part of his stable’s success is his strike rate – an incredible 24.2 per cent for the season with almost half of his 128 runners finishing among the placings.

“You have to know your horse’s ability and put them in the right races,” Doyle said.

“We are all there to win races, not there to run fourth or fifth. If you don’t think they’re winning chances, I don’t think it’s worthy going to the races.

“You are better off finding the right races and giving horses the opportunity.

“You have to be banking the best cheque for the owners, that’s what it’s all about.”

Doyle is preparing for his biggest ever Sydney metropolitan Saturday ever this weekend with six runners across six different races at Royal Randwick and all of them are winning chances.

He wants to make his presence felt in town.

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“Everyone asks you what race do you want to win? It’s not that we want to win a certain race, it’s just that we want to be more competitive on a metropolitan circuit more regularly so that’s probably the main goal,” Doyle said.

“The first three horses we had, we owned ourselves but we are starting to get that better stock and more opportunities with young horses so hopefully we showed that bit more presence on the metropolitan stage in the coming 18 months.

“Racing benefits from having a lot more competitive trainers. You know what punters are like, if there are trainers with six in a race or four in a race, they’d rather 14 runners with 14 different trainers.

“It looks a lot better that way and I think people are more happy to punt. You need that competition otherwise it can get a bit stale and boring.”

Boston Rocks is Nathan Doyle’s best chance at Randwick on Saturday. Picture: Bradley Photos

Doyle’s best chance on the card is the highly-promising Boston Rocks.

The progressive three-year-old has two wins and a second since coming into Doyle’s yard and will look to return a winner in the TAB Benchmark 72 Handicap (1100m) with Tim Clark in the saddle.

Boston Rocks is a $2.60 TAB favourite.

“It seems like the right race for Boston Rocks,” Doyle said.

“He has only got the one trial under his belt. He didn’t have much of a suck after the trial.

“He ran quick time all under his own steam and I was happy with the way the horse pulled up.

“He has drawn a nice marble with 54kg on his back so he will be in the first four (in the run).”

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Doyle is keen to give Boston Rocks his chance in a stakes race later this month if all goes to plan in his return this weekend.

“There only three once so if he can make that step up this is two weeks into a Gosford Guineas,” he said.

“There is the Inglis 3YO Sprint down in March in Melbourne worth plenty of money and he is an Inglis horse so those are the kind of races he would target.”

Cheerful Legend was the last horse to beat Boston Rocks on the Kensington track back in August and has only recently returned from a freshen up of his own with a second at Canterbury.

But the gelding has been handed a tough task from barrier 12 in the Precise Air Benchmark 72 Handicap (1400m).

“Cheerful Legend is drawn a bit sticky and we’ve given him a bit of a freshen up,” Doyle said.

“We just wanted to back off him and race him over that summer, off-season period.

“That might be his wheelhouse. He was on speed the other day at Kenso but that was just the way he jumped and he had to roll forward otherwise he was stuck deep.

“He is a horse that would prefer to be ridden a bit quiet and wants the jar out of the track.”

Cosmic Field ($5.50) is also among the leading chances in the Midway Benchmark 72 Handicap (1600m).

Dalaalaat is due another win. Picture: Jeremy Ng/Getty Images

The Deep Field gelding was a winner two back on home turf before a midfield run at the same venue on The Hunter day last month.

“His second up win was terrific here at Newcastle and then he probably got back a little bit too far out of his ground on Hunter day,” Doyle said.

“They probably didn’t go as quick up front to get him into the race but he has always probably been a blinkers horse and we just waited for the right time to put them on.

“They go on on Saturday, from a good gate (barrier one), he might be able to position a little bit closer behind the speed but we definitely want cover with him.”

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Doyle couldn’t resist giving Hide Your Heart ($7.50) her chance in the Kia Ora Prague Benchmark 78 Handicap (1400m).

“I probably did have intentions of stepping her up to the mile but when the race came up thin, it’s a Benchmark 72 on paper racing for Saturday Sydney prizemoney,” Doyle said.

“She can maybe position a bit closer and with a bit more speed in this race, we can get on our bike and be mindful she might have that little bit of a flat spot and be very strong late.

“If she can overcome that section of the race, I think it’s a race she can win.”

Xpresso ($15) and Dalaalaat ($7) are both expected to run well in their respective races late on the card.

“Xpresso’s trial was OK and barrier one he looks to get a nice run,” Doyle said.

“He probably wanted to overdo it in that trial so we thought 1000m fresh, would be his right starting point.”

“Dalaalaat is a big horse so the weight won’t worry him from a nice enough draw.

“When it all maps right, he will knock one of those races off, I’ve got no doubt about that.

“He is very consistent and the gap between runs, he seems to race a lot better on the fresh side so I am not worried about the gap between runs.”