For the first time since 2024, PRIVATE EYE drew a gate inside 5 and it worked against him in Saturday’s Group 1 Kingsford Smith Cup (1300m) at Eagle Farm.
Amazingly this was just the second time in 12 starts the dual Everest placegetter jumped from a barrier in the first half of the field.
And of course this had to be the day when every winner on a 9-race card was in Lane 9 or wider.
That didn’t stop him from running his usual gutsy race. Stablemate HEADLEY GRANGE won the race which rated about 1L inside standard. What added merit to this performance was the tempo was below standard through the first half of the race – in fact relative to class standards the last 200m of the race was the best suggesting the race could’ve gone quicker overall. The problem is how do we decipher over who to follow to the Stradbroke given the margins were small? Hard to go past the winner as he meets some of these better at the weights for beating them. But then PRIVATE EYE wasn’t suited by an inside gate given the pattern for the day. And then there’s FANGIRL, who ripped out the best last 600, 400 and 200m of the day to grab third from a sectionally impossible position. But that’s the attraction of racing – the unknown. And as punters we love the challenge of trying to work out the Rubik’s cube.
Staying with Queensland before we review the rest of the Proven stock, the Derby rated 1L inside standard but wasn’t overly flash late suggesting PROVIDENCE was fully exposed here. He’s a good horse but given he’s fairly seasoned for a 3YO I doubt he can trouble the Cups and that’s provided he stays in Australia.
But the runner-up is a different type albeit he too could head to Hong Kong. MONOPOLISTIC was straight from a BM78 to this and he wanders a bit in his races. He’s got a bit to go in terms of race sense (which falls under the broader term of maturity). When I say race sense, I’m talking about how much guiding and pushing a horse needs from its rider. A professional horse is push-button and doesn’t need much encouraging. With MONOPOLISTIC, it’s not that he’s resisting the rider but you can see he’s still a bit new and needs to be told what to do. He reminds me of my kids every morning when we have to basically dress them for school. Whereas PROVIDENCE is that kid that comes over and gets dressed on their own while also packing their bag leaving you wondering if your parental skills are terrible?
The week for Proven began with RULE OF NIGHT making his debut at Doomben on Wednesday. Settling well back in an evenly run 1200m maiden, the gelding clocked the best last 600 and 400m of the day to grab 2nd. Backed from $26 into $12, he stuck to the rail on a day that suited this and his last 400m was more than 6L above standard. His time was still 3.5L inside standard and off this run he should win a similar race next time.
Thank Christ SHOT OF WHISKEY was finally ridden to his strengths. He jumped, crossed and led and instead of looking for a cheap sectional just kept rolling making sure every runner behind him had to work just to keep up. The first 600m in 35.4 was 2.5L above standard but he remained above standard or bang on for the next two sections (600 to 200m). It was only in the last 200m he got tired with that section almost 4L below standard. But nothing had any gas left to run him down – it was like watching a mini version of PRIDE OF JENNI. His overall time was still close to 1L inside standard meaning this was an above average performance. And that’s what made me frustrated in previous runs, holding him up just means he runs a slower overall time. And a slower overall time makes him less likely to win. You don’t need to look for a cushy run, the horse cops the work and responds. It’s a great trait, why hide it?
Queensland Oaks this Saturday and I fancy CHISPA although she’s done a PRIVATE EYE and drawn gate 20. But looking at last year’s results on the corresponding day and I note 8 of the 10 winners were in Lanes 10 or wider.
Nic Ashman is a form expert who has developed his own times rating system to assess races. He is the host of The Beaten Favourite podcast and appears on several other racing media outlets. For a more detailed summary of the past weekend’s racing, you can listen to ‘The Monday Podcast’ episode by The Beaten Favourite HERE.