A bold decision to shift Private Eye’s campaign to Melbourne has reaped instant rewards for trainer Joe Pride and his team.
With Sydney hit by persistent wet weather, Pride elected to bypass the Group 2 Missile Stakes (1200m) at Randwick, instead giving the gelding a Warwick Farm trial last week in preparation for Caulfield.
The move paid off handsomely as Private Eye produced a commanding performance in the Group 2 P B Lawrence Stakes (1400m) on Saturday, much to the delight of connections.
Sent out at $3.10 with Nash Rawiller aboard, the veteran galloper controlled the tempo from the start and sprinted clear late to defeat Desert Lightning ($12) by two lengths, with Here To Shock ($6) finishing close up in third.
Now aged eight, Private Eye was having just his second run of the season after a solid third placing in the Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) at Eagle Farm earlier in June.
Pride said the gelding’s fitness from that run, together with sharp recent trials, left him confident that Private Eye was ready to perform. His belief only grew when he arrived at Caulfield.
“It was a little bit like In Flight when she won here,” Pride said.
“When I saw him get off the float, I grew in confidence. When your horses travel away, you need to see them travel well, and he looked magnificent.
“He’s an amazing athlete and that was his 13th interstate trip. He’s very tough and carried a good bit of residual fitness from Queensland.
“It was only his second start for 2025. It would easily be the lightest he has been raced in some time and maybe that has something to do with his good form at the moment.”
Looking ahead, Pride confirmed the Group 1 Memsie Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on August 30 is an option, depending on how the tracks and weather pan out.
“I wouldn’t rule out coming back for the Memsie, but there are plenty of races there in Sydney also,” Pride said. “We’ll hopefully pick something off and hopefully on a better track than we got today.”
Rawiller added there was a brief moment of concern before the race after Private Eye hit his head in the barriers but was quickly assessed and cleared.
“Another horse got a bit agitated, and he took a dive and hit his head,” Rawiller said.
“I backed him out and got him checked, but I was confident he was well enough to race, I just wanted to double check.
“He was really switched on today and he travelled really well from the time he left the gates. It’s full credit to the team at home as he’s got his zest for racing.”
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