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By Gary Harley

Joe Pride is confident that he will be holding the $1 million Group 2-The Newcastle Herald Hunter trophy aloft for the second year in succession on Saturday.

The Newcastle Herald sponsored The Hunter will be held at Newcastle Racecourse and the race is the highlight of a magnificent 10-race program followed by high quality entertainment.

Pride will saddle up two top weights Private Eye ($6.50 on TAB) and last year’s The Hunter winner Coal Crusher ($10).

Private Eye heads to the barriers with Nash Rawiller. Image by Bradley Photographers

Private Eye is clearly the class runner with prizemoney of more than $11.7 million, however, alongside with Coal Crusher has to overcome a ‘car park’ barrier.

Private Eye has won a Group 1-Epsom and four Group races, and he was runner-up to Giga Kick in the 2022 The Everest.

The 7-year-old was only beaten 1.5 lengths by Bella Nipotina in the recent The Everest on October 19.

I contacted Pride on Wednesday night who said: “Private Eye has been racing well but the barrier draws were not kind to him in The Everest and The Shorts.

"So, I accepted with him in the Rupert Clarke at Caulfield (now scratched) and The Hunter for this Saturday and depending on the barriers will make a decision where to start him.

"He drew unfavorably with wide barriers but Newcastle is only two hours up the road so he can go there.

"This horse loves the sting out of the ground and with storms about this week he should have a perfect surface. Mentally he may not be at his peak but physically the horse is as good as ever.

"Private Eye raced the best sprinters in Australia in The Everest and wasn’t far away after having no luck.

"If you look at the past two The Hunters, Lost And Running won in 2021 after a close fourth behind Nature Strip in The Everest.

"My horse Coal Crusher won The Hunter last year in track record time after being close up behind Bella Nipotonia and Private Eye in a $3 million race. The Hunter as the record indicates is a good horse race,” Pride said.

In relation to Coal Crusher Pride he had this to say: “Coal Crusher loves Newcastle and is fine after the gut buster last run: "Great to have Nash Rawiller aboard and although he is very fast the horse doesn’t need to lead. There is speed in the race.”

Murwillumbah sprinter Far Too Easy ($4.40) is attempting to win The Kosciuszko-The Hunter double and despite the wide barrier he has a great chance. He has a terrific record with nine wins and five placings and if the track is soft (currently a Soft 6), Far Too Easy has won six from eight on rain-affected tracks.

Talented Queenslander Kyle Wilson-Taylor will travel to Newcastle to ride the David McColm trained 6yo. The untapped lightly raced 4yo Briasa was the big mover with TAB firming from $5 into $2.80 favouritism.

It is a huge step up in class from winning a five-horse Benchmark 88 on the Kensington Track last start to the Group 2-The Hunter. However, he has won five from six and is in a great stable with Team Hawkes and only has 53kg. Last year’s winning jockey Tyler Schiller rides Briasa.

The $300,000 New Zealand Bloodstock The Beauford (2300m) has attracted a quality field of stayers. Ciaron Maher will saddle up two of the fancied runners in Wyclif ($3.70 favourite) and Herman Hesse ($10) and both are former Great Britan stayers in good form.

Wyclif has been a narrowly beaten runner-up in three Group 3 events recently and the 8yo was run down late by Etna Rosso in the Newcastle Cup and flashed home to just miss in the Randwick St Leger.

Last start on November 2 he came from the tail of the field to fail by a long head in the Rosehill Cup.

Annabel Neasham & Rob Archibald’s pair Spirit Ridge ($7.50) and Naval College ($5) are smart stayers after nice performances first-up in the recent Group 3-Craven Plate.

The Group 3-New Zealand Bloodstock Spring Stakes (1600m) is an open affair with a number of promising 3yos including Althoff ($4.20), Alabama State ($3.80 fav), The Three Hundred ($6) and Snitzanova ($6.50).

The Max Lees Classic (900m) for 2yos has been a debut race for Group 1 winners Jonker and Cylinder and Group 2 winners Strasbourg and Erno’s Choice in the past and the majority of this year’s field have sound trial form.

View final fields with full form & race replays for Newcastle here