Joe Pride-trained Private Eye begins return with trial at Warwick Farm on Tuesday
Private Eye, notable by his absence during the Sydney autumn carnival, takes a significant step towards a return to racing with a barrier trial at Warwick Farm on Tuesday.
Trainer Joe Pride 's rising eight-year-old, already the winner of $11.9 million prizemoney, is contesting an 800m heat against seven rivals.
Pride has deliberately held Private Eye back this autumn after the gelding raced deep into the spring and early summer last year.
Private Eye contested his third successive The Everest last spring, finishing sixth to Bella Nipotina – he ran second to Giga Kick in 2022 and third to stablemate Think About It in 2023 – before winning the Group 3 Festival Stakes and then finishing fourth in Robusto 's Group 2 The Ingham in December.
But Pride said the evergreen sprinter-miler was coming up well ahead of a Brisbane carnival campaign.
'Private Eye is going super,'' Pride said.
'He has been going from carnival to carnival for so long now and he finally missed a carnival during the autumn.
'But you wouldn't believe it, this was the only dry autumn we have had in Sydney for the last five of six years.
'He did race until mid-December last year so he needed a break and he is coming along really well.''
He's still got it! 🙌
Private Eye and @nashhot take the G3 Festival Stakes at Rosehill! @PrideRacing | @aus_turf_club pic.twitter.com/aiTnTnIKLt
— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) November 30, 2024
•
The Warwick Farm-based trainer said he plans to give Private Eye two barrier trials before a scheduled return to racing in the Group 1 $1 million Kingsford Smith Cup (1300m) at Eagle Farm on May 31 and then possibly the Group 1 $3 million Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) at the same track two weeks later.
Pride has nominated six horses for the Hawkesbury stand-alone meeting on Saturday including Winx's half-sister City Of Lights for the Group 3 $250,000 Hawkesbury Crown (1300m).
The Pride stable has Dragonstone, In Flight and Testator Silens entered for the Listed $200,000 Hawkesbury Rush (1100m) and Cool Jakey and Excelladus will line up in the Benchmark 88 Handicap (1400m).
ðŸ'š Green Fly from nowhere nabs Cool Jakey right on the line to give @LaneDamian a Rosehill double! @FreedmanRacing | @OTIRacing | @aus_turf_club pic.twitter.com/aOe9GpWSak
— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) April 1, 2025
The Hawkesbury Race Club has taken a bumper 212 nominations for the 10-race program which marks the 20th anniversary since the first Hawkesbury stand-alone race day.
Trainers Anthony and Sam Freedman have entered Punch Lane for the Group 3 $250,000 Hawkesbury Gold Cup (1600m) after the gelding's brilliant win at Royal Randwick last Saturday.
Tavi Time at $3.50 and Matcha Latte at $4.50.
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