It has been the best year for Proven Thoroughbreds and the Joe Pride stable, and they are both quick to point out that it is all about winning.
Winning The Everest with Think It Over was a career peak for Proven Thoroughbreds principal Jamie Walter and the Pride stable. Then there is Private Eye, which won The Shorts and was third to his stablemate in the $20million Everest and second to Bella Nipotina in the Giga Kick Stakes.
In Flight will be out to secure BOBS horse of the year by completing a hat trick of wins at Randwick on Saturday Credit: Getty Images
“There was a point last year when I said to Joe after Think About It won a group 1 in Brisbane, ‘Did you never think we would have a second-best horse as good as Private Eye’,” Walter said.
“He said, ‘No, but I’m enjoying it’. I said to him, ‘I have been waiting more than 20 years to have a horse like these two, so we should enjoy it’.“
While Think About It and Private Eye have taken the Proven colours to the biggest stage, the year for the syndicator has been massive: 52 winners, 22 of which have been in the city, and more than $16 million in prizemoney.
There is the next generation coming through as well during the winter. Emerging fillies The Black Cloud and In Flight are making names for themselves with winning records.
In Flight took her fourth BOBS bonus for the season last time out and can make it a hat-trick of wins at benchmark 72 level at Randwick on Saturday. She tops the BOBS horse of the year standings with $56,000 in bonuses, and another win would confirm that title.
“It is not one that many people that look at, that title, but it is a very good effort for any horse to win five races in a season,” Pride said.
“Racing after all is about winning, and when you win it is much more exciting. She has the job in front of her on the weekend because she won her first benchmark 72 with 53.5 kilos and then had 56.5 last time, and now she is up to 60 kilos.