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📻 IMPORTANT AUCKLAND UPDATE 📻
What’s next for “chameleon” Private Eye?
Andrew Slevison • August 18th, 2025 5:00 pm
Trainer Joe Pride admits Private Eye has been a “chameleon” in his career, but praised the horse for his winning ability.
The eight-year-old warhorse saluted in the Group 2 PB Lawrence at Caulfield on Saturday. Jockey Nash Rawiller jumped, led, stacked them up and dashed home in a dominant display over 1400m.
Private Eye, who has been an enigma at times, has now won 13 of 44 career starts and his prize money is well over $12 million which tells Pride that he’s a pretty decent horse indeed.
“He’s been a bit of a chameleon and he’s changed quite a few times in his career about what actually suits him,” Pride said on SENTrack’s Giddy Up.
“This is a horse who has come from last under pressure to win a Queensland Guineas, scrubbed along at the back of the field and won an Epsom, and later in his life has been able to sprint with the best of them in an Everest (third in 2023).
“He won a 1500-metre race (at Rosehill) at the end of last year. Not many horses are that versatile.
“He’s been tricky in that you second-guess yourself at times, (and wonder) are you in the right race with him, because there’s so many different things you could actually do.
“The prize money we’ve accumulated tells us we’ve done a pretty good job. He’s now won 13 races.
“Everyone has an opinion on Private Eye but I think he’s a fantastic horse.”
Private Eye has been thrown around at different distances from 1000m up to the mile and even ran fifth in a Champions Stakes at 2000m back in 2021.
But what is his best trip?
“Probably the 1400 of Saturday is about spot on for him,” Pride added.
“He’s run placings in two Stradbrokes, very unlucky not to win the one that Alligator Blood won (in 2022). Second in a Lightning Stakes to Imperatriz (in 2024).
“He’s effective at all those distances but I think 1400 is his pet trip.”
A return to Caulfield, where he is one from one, could be on the cards with Pride eyeing the Group 1 Memsie Stakes at the same trip on August 30.
But if the rain stays away in Sydney, Private Eye may run in the Tramway Stakes, also over 1400m, at his home track at Randwick on September 6.
“I’ll nominate him for the Memsie. There’s a chance he’ll come back down for that because he did get around Caulfield well,” Pride said further.
“I might just save him for the Tramway here. Banking wins with this horse is the most important thing. I’m not looking to prove any points with him, he’s done that by racing at the absolute top level.
“So it’s just about getting more wins with him. There’s a very good chance he goes around in the Tramway at set weights and penalties, 1400, here at home, but I haven’t ruled out bringing him back for the Memsie at all.”
