Pride thinks Private Eye is the perfect Randwick mile horse

It has been a long time since Jamie Walter bought his first horse, but the 20-year wait for a group 1 winner could come to end when Private Eye wears Proven Thoroughbreds silks in the Epsom at Randwick on Saturday.

Proven Thoroughbreds is one of the most recognised syndication brands in racing, buying competitively priced horses that are regular winners. And although they have been close with Sir Moments in Queensland, a win at the highest level has eluded Walter in his long career.

Private Eye takes out the Show County Quality at Randwick on his spring return.Credit:Getty

“We haven’t got there yet but things have been going right heading into this race,” Walter said.

Private Eye was only a $62,500 purchase at the Magic Millions in Adelaide, typical of the value purchases of Proven, and the son of Al Maher has provided a $500,000 return before racing for the $1.5 million purse in the Epsom.

“I still had a bit of him to sell at this time of the year as a two-year-old,” Walter said. “He was just a nice horse at the Adelaide sale, and I remember ringing Joe [Pride] because had the half-brother Royal Witness.

“I asked him if he was interested in buying him when he said he wasn’t; I asked would you train him, and he said yes.

“[Private Eye] has a strong family and, if you go back to his third dam he has Snitzel there, but I have to say he has been perfectly placed by Joe.

“He has looked after him and we are just starting to see the benefit of that patience.”

Private Eye has put together seven wins from 12 starts, including a Queensland Guineas success after which Pride put him away for the Epsom and the Golden Eagle.

“He won that Queensland Guineas like a 2000m horse,” Walter enthused. “He was off the bridle a long way out, and Brenton Avdulla said to me after the race that before the turn he was wondering why he flew up there to ride him, and then he gave him one smack and he took off.

“He just said to me he is a very nice horse.”

The focus from that day was the Epsom, and Pride has managed the spring preparation with this group 1 in mind.

“I have always thought he was a Randwick mile horse,” Pride said. “His best runs have been at Randwick, and I have given those three runs this time because he is so casual that he needs racing to get to his peak.

“He gets there on his way because he hasn’t had too many starts and he is ready to go on Saturday.

“He hasn’t got a high-pressure race this preparation [like the Queensland Guineas] and I think that is when he will be at his best, so I think he will be right on Saturday.”

Private Eye has had a solid grounding storming to victory in the Show County Quality before finding the line well in the Theo Marks Stakes and Bill Ritchie, where he was on the placegetters’ heels.

“I love seeing him win so well fresh because that is a good sign that a horse is in for preparation and this has been the target,” Pride said.

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