Joe Pride’s initial spring plan for King’s Secret was to avoid Sydney’s top sprinters, but the gelding’s two encouraging return runs have led to a shift in strategy.
The five-year-old flashed home from the back when fourth to Tempted in the Concorde Stakes (1000m), and then delivered another strong performance, finishing a close third behind Mazu and Joliestar in The Shorts (1100m).
These efforts have secured him a start in Saturday’s Group 2 Premiere Stakes (1200m) field, and Pride is confident King’s Secret can be competitive.
“The idea was to take him to Melbourne when I started the ‘prep’ thinking we might need to get out of Sydney because they’d be too good for him,” Pride remarked.
“The two runs have given me a little bit of confidence they’re not too good for him, and he’s made a pretty big leap from where he was last preparation.
“After the two runs, you’d say he’s among that top group of sprinters now.”
The Sydney Stakes (1200m), scheduled for the Everest undercard, is the probable next target for King’s Secret after his weekend outing.
As a half-brother to Pride’s accomplished campaigner Private Eye, the gelding is almost a carbon copy of his successful sibling, save for one obvious difference.
“Those little (Matryoshka) dolls that are exactly the same and fit inside one another – he’s like the littlest one and Private Eye is the biggest one,” Pride stated.
“There’s about five sizes in between, but they’re identical.”
King’s Secret will be one of three Premiere Stakes runners representing the stable, alongside the rejuvenated Mazu and Weeping Woman.
Pride readily admits that Weeping Woman’s first-up run in the Sheraco Stakes (1200m) was below par. However, he believes a wet track could see her perform much better than her $41 quote suggests.
“I can only take out of the run that she didn’t like the firm track,” he commented.
“If it’s a bit of a wet track, she will be there and can bounce back.”
Godolphin mare Tempted is the dominant favourite in Premiere Stakes betting at $1.55 and is the only runner among the 15 acceptors at single-figure odds.
King’s Secret and Mazu are both rated as $26 chances.
Tempted is heavily favoured in the Premiere Stakes, and you can find the latest racing betting markets with leading Australian betting sites.