Private Eye hot on Stradbroke Handicap trail
BRISBANE Sydney trainer Joseph Pride is undeterred by the challenges facing Private Eye, when the outstanding miler tackles the AU$3 million (S$2.5 million) Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap (1,400m) at Eagle Farm in Brisbane on June 14.
Assigned top weight of 57kg, the Al Maher seven-year-old will resume after a 182-day break. He is bidding to defy history as he tries to become the first horse to carry 57kg or more to victory in the Stradbroke Handicap since Rough Habit won with 58.5kg in 1992.
Additionally, winning the Stradbroke Handicap first-up is a rare achievement, after an extended break with Crawl famously bucking the trend by triumphing in 2001 off a 56-day break.
"Records are made to be broken and I don't think first-up is what it used to be," said Pride of the 12-time winner, whose biggest win came in the Group 1 Epsom Handicap (1,600m) in 2021, but carrying a luxury weight of 52.5kg then.
"I've also given Private Eye four barrier trials, I'm very happy with him, and he won't be beaten on the score of fitness.
"His trial last Friday (June 6) at Rosehill was everything I wanted to see from him. He jumped and put himself on the speed.
"He wanted to be there and that's the best version of Private Eye. He ran second to Alligator Blood in the 2022 Stradbroke - I feel he's ready to run super again on Saturday."
Nash Rawiller, who rode Private Eye to two of his six Group wins, including the Group 3 Festival Stakes (1,500m) at Rosehill on Nov 30, hops on in the Stradbroke.
Fellow Sydney jockey Jason Collett will partner Godolphin's Golden Mile for James Cummings, who was on June 11 unveiled as the latest expatriate to join the Hong Kong training ranks in September 2026.
Briefly retired to start a breeding career, Golden Mile was gelded after being injured at stud.
The 2022 Group 1 Caulfield Guineas (1,600m) winner returned to racing in March, before catching the eye when third to Joliestar in the Group 1 Kingsford Smith Cup (1,300m) at Eagle Farm on June 7.
"It'd be a great story for Golden Mile, who's come back from stud duties and he has been warming to a win," said Cummings. "He was excellent (last start) and he's been building up to that.
"A bit over a month ago (May 3), he screamed home for third in the Group 2 Victory Stakes (1,200m at Eagle Farm). That had him back in the form he was 12 months ago, just prior to him going to stud."
Interestingly, the Astern five-year-old also was third in the same Victory Stakes in 2024 (won by Brisbane star Antino) as his send-off race, before his switch to the short-lived breeding duties.
Other leading chances in the Stradbroke Handicap are southern raiders War Machine and Rise At Dawn - who are both trained in Flemington by Ben, Will and JD Hayes - local veteran Rothfire, who will be ridden by James McDonald for trainer Robert Heathcote, and Robusto, who is trained by Pride's neighbour Bjorn Baker and has Kerrin McEvoy in the irons.
Elsewhere on the "all-black type" nine-race programme that also features the Group 1 J.J. Atkins (1,600m) for two-year-olds, the A$1.2 million Group 2 HKJC World Pool Q22 (2,200m) has garnered eight top stayers, including Bankers Choice for the Hayes brothers.
Third in the Group 3 Lord Mayor's Cup (1,800m) at Eagle Farm on May 31, the seven-year-old Listed Mornington Cup (2,400m) winner - when temporarily prepared by Glen Thompson after his previous trainer Mike Moroney's death - will be ridden by big-race jockey Mark Zahra.
"He's a very straightforward horse," said Ben Hayes of the nine-time winner by Mongolian Khan. "He came to us in great form, we thought his last run was very good.
"He had the trial (at Caulfield) because it was a while between those runs and the Eagle Farm run was a good pipe-opener for this really good prize money race.
"He's shown that he can get to the trip and I think the 2,200m should be ideal."
Other chances include Fawkner Park and Bois D'Argent, who are both trained by Annabel and Rob Archibald, and Kovalica for Chris Waller. HKJC
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