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By Ray Hickson

In the absence of any physical reason for Private Eye’s winless spring, trainer Joe Pride has moved to sharpen up the gelding’s mind with a couple of jumping sessions.

Joe Pride (Pic: Steve Hart)

We’re not talking elite showjumping heights, and Pride says Private Eye is far from that level but he feels it’s doing the job of sparking him up.

However, his last win was in September last year so the proof will be in how he performs in the Group 2 $1 million Newcastle Herald Hunter (1300m) at Newcastle on Saturday.

“I’ve popped him over the jumps, we have a little jumps set up in the middle of the track at Warwick Farm,’’ Pride said.

“I did it with Stockman going into his last run and to compare the two would be unfair, Stockman is a natural jumper.

“You’ve got to be a bit fearless to be jumpers and he’s a bit of a sook Private Eye but it’s waking him up.

“You like to stimulate them mentally and it’s doing that but he’s not naturally talented at jumping.”

The two-time Everest placegetter has top weight of 60kg in the Hunter and a wide barrier so he’s not been handed any favours but Pride said there’s a lot less depth in the race than he’s used to meeting.

This spring Private Eye, $7 with TAB on Thursday, has finished fourth in the Concorde and sixth in the Shorts behind I Am Me and sixth in the TAB Everest and fifth in the Russell Balding behind Bella Nipotina.

Pride said Private Eye will naturally need a few things to fall his way but is confident the race will be run to suit.

“I think we’re going to see a good tempo, Coal Crusher coming across from out wide and Felix Majestic kicking up so as we generally do in this race you’ll get a good genuine tempo, and if we can get to midfield three deep or one off the fence even better,’’ he said.

“I can’t make excuses for him, he’s got to be competitive here.”

Defending champ Coal Crusher finished last in the Russell Balding but Pride is putting a line through that performance given he found himself in a speed battle and he was eased down when beaten.

The outside barrier isn’t an issue for Pride given his natural speed and he would like to think Nash Rawiller can get the best out of Coal Crusher, who also won at this meeting in 2022.

“(Chad) basically sat up on him in the straight when he was beaten,’’ he said.

“Once he gets headed that’s it for him, he throws the toys out of the cot. He likes to dominate, he doesn’t have to lead but he likes to be up there in some kind of control.

“I’ve always wanted to get Nash on him and there’s an opportunity with the weight.”

Pride has added a nose roll to promising gelding Bullets High for the NZB Lauren Parker Legend Mile (1600m) in an effort to make his head carriage more economical.

The four-year-old was a winner first-up on his home track before going down narrowly to Battleton at Rosehill two weeks ago.

Private Eye runs fifth at Rosehill on November 2

“It’s worked quite well in trackwork, he wastes a lot of energy because he hasn’t got an efficient stride when he’s under pressure and he gets his head up in the air,’’ he said.

“So I’m hoping even if he can get it down 10 per cent it adds something.

“He’s thrown a few races away, he’s a big baby but he’s got a heap of talent. He should go through the grades, he’s too good to be stuck at 78.”

All the fields, form and replays for Saturday’s Newcastle meeting