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By Ray Hickson

Joe Pride has his sights set on the first of two races he’d love ageless sprinter Eduardo to have on his record after an extraordinary edition of the Group 2 $500,000 Hyland Race Colours Challenge Stakes (1000m) at Randwick.

Trainer Joe Pride (Pic: Bradley Photos)

It wasn’t a remarkable race for the fact that Eduardo ($2.30) defended his title, but the plucky country galloper Shelby Sixtysix ($61) who had the temerity to run past the world’s highest rated sprinter Nature Strip ($1.70) and give Eduardo a fright.

But win Eduardo did and he closed the gap on Nature Strip in their head to head battle to 5-4 and firmed to $4.50 for the Group 1 $2.5m TJ Smith Stakes (1200m) on Day 1 of The Star Championships on April 2 – one of the two races he covets for the eight-year-old.

“He has certainly come up well this time around,’’ Pride said.

“The TJ and The Everest are the two big ones and I’d love to see this horse win one of those races before he retires.

“Four weeks to the TJ and then we will think about Brisbane. The Spring is what beckons after that and I’d just love to keep this horse going for as long as I can and he’s showing no signs of tiredness.”

Eduardo ran third in both the TJ and $15m TAB Everest in 2021, he’ll get his chance to improve on that position in the first in a month and if he holds form you’d imagine an Everest slot is a formality.

Unlike last year’s Challenge Stakes, Eduardo bounded to the front while Nature Strip was a shade tardy and it allowed the leader some comfort as he set the pace.

Just as Nature Strip appeared to be looming he was dropped off by Eduardo and to his inside it was left to Shelby Sixtysix, a 62 rater and TAB Highway winner a week earlier, to set out in pursuit and he finished a long head off his more celebrated rival and 1-1/4 lengths in front of a champion sprinter.

Shelby Sixtysix's connections collected $94,000 and will always be able to say they beat Nature Strip in a Group 2 at Randwick.

Eduardo’s jockey Nash Rawiller said the key to winning the race was taking Nature Strip out of his comfort zone and while the margin did get a bit tight nearing the line praised the gelding’s effort.

“We were sort of left a sitting shot there the last 50m,’’ he said.

“He has probably never really been in that situation where he hasn’t had Nature Strip to run down. I was trying to be a bit kind to him but then I realised I had to get serious on him again but god bless him, he always pulls out plenty.

“He’s a ripper. If Nature Strip wasn’t around, he would be one of the best in the country.”

Pride confirmed the plan was to make Nature Strip uncomfortable and it worked a treat but he admitted the last 100m or so were pretty uncomfortable for him too.

“Nash is a man of few words as everybody knows, but a few of the words that he did say, he said, ‘I want to go quicker today’,’’ Pride said.

“I think that was what brought Nature Strip undone but it nearly brought him undone as well.

Eduardo wins the Challenge Stakes at Randwick

“There is a delicate balance there. I’m not going to criticise Nash because he gets it right so many times, but it was probably set up for something to come home then.

“But a gallant effort from my bloke and just great to get him to win another Group race this preparation. He’s a marvel.”

As for Nature Strip, jockey James McDonald could only offer that the seven-year-old didn’t feel at home in the heavy conditions saying “his wheels just spun in the ground”.

The champion sprinter remains $3.50 favourite to make it three straight TJ Smith Stakes.

Check out the replays and results from Randwick Guineas day at Royal Randwick